Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding spent much of Monday’s press conference talking about the challenge Georgia presents, praising Kirby Smart and the consistency the Bulldogs have built over the years.
Golding also said Ole Miss isn’t expecting running back Kewan Lacy to be available this week, pointed to the continued growth of Trinidad Chambliss and the Rebels’ receiving corps, and made it clear the focus remains on preparing for Georgia rather than where Ole Miss lands in the first College Football Playoff rankings.
Pete Golding, Head coach
On what makes Kirby Smart an elite coach…
Golding: I think No. 1 is experience. Obviously, I think he’s been in the league, what, 20 years now, it seems like? I think nine as an assistant and 11 as a head coach. He’s been around a lot of elite coaches. Does a heck of a job in recruiting. He’s got an elite staff that he’s put together. I think he does a really good job of creating toughness in his program and discipline, and you can see it in his team. When you get a lot of really good players and have good systems in all three phases, and you’ve got really good coaches, you’re tough to beat. A lot of respect for him. I’ve had a lot of respect for him for a long time.
On Kewan Lacy’s availability against Georgia…
Golding: He’s still in there with Pat, still grinding through it. It’s a work in progress, but we’re not expecting to have him this week. This isn’t something that’s just going to happen overnight. Still working hard at it, and hopefully we’ll know sooner rather than later. But we’re not expecting him this week.
On the differences between last season’s two Georgia games…
Golding: I thought the first one in Athens, defensively, we didn’t play very well. Didn’t communicate very well. Weren’t on the same page. Didn’t leverage the football. A lot of missed tackles. A lot of explosive plays in the passing game. Could never get them off rhythm. I thought they did a really good job in that game. Bobo did a really good job setting things up with complementary plays. I thought the bowl game was different. I thought we did a better job on base-down run game, getting them behind the chains, creating some more negative-yardage plays. Not nearly as many explosives in the game. Created some turnovers. Kind of got the momentum late and kept it. Special teams were a big piece. But this game is always about critical downs and turnovers. I think when you look at the difference in those two games, those were significantly different. A couple of big fourth-down stops in the Sugar Bowl game, which were really big. But playing against a really good Georgia football team, you can’t turn the football over, and you can’t give up explosives on offense. You’ve got to make them drive the length of the field, and you’ve got to do a really good job on critical downs. I thought we did a much better job of that in the bowl game. I don’t think the score actually reflects it, that scoop-and-score right before halftime. I thought we played better defensively than the score made it seem. A lot of it was in the base-down run game. If you can’t stop the run versus those guys, it’s a long night, and it has been for a long time. We’ve got to play really physical up front. We’ve got to be really sound at the second level and have erasers. You can’t give up explosives versus these guys.
On Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton…
Golding: I think No. 1 is his competitive character. I think you see his toughness on tape. But I think more importantly than those two, to be honest with you, he’s an elite game manager. Doesn’t press. Doesn’t try to do too much. Has a really good understanding of their system and takes what the defense gives him. Gets them in and out of a lot of different things. Checks a lot of protections and the run game at the line of scrimmage that you can see on tape. Outside of that one game versus Auburn, which was kind of an outlier to me on tape, they don’t ever beat themselves. I think when you’ve got a really good football team that has a good defense, when you protect the football and take what the defense gives you, they do a really good job controlling the clock. Don’t play with a lot of tempo. They’re going to eat up that time of possession, and he’s been really, really efficient. A lot of experience. He’s been in that system and is really well-coached. He’s an elite competitor on tape, and he’s tough as nails.
On the defense’s performance against Auburn…
Golding: I thought the effort was there. We talked about it on Saturday. I thought the critical downs in the first half, on third down, we didn’t leverage the ball in the passing game very well. Didn’t play to our help. A couple of communication issues on some of the third-down stuff that led to them extending some drives and those things. But I thought they responded really well at halftime and came back and battled. There were a lot of positives on tape that hopefully we’ll build from.
On Trinidad Chambliss playing more freely in the second half…
Golding: Absolutely. I think at halftime, JDB and Joe did a really good job with him. I think by design, on some of the plays, kind of like we talked about, getting his legs going a little bit. Some of those in the first half were drops, right? They weren’t always the throw. We said, “Man, continue to be confident and keep throwing that thing in there.” And he did. I think a lot of that was the mindset probably before the game, as much as it was at halftime, of quit trying to live up to this expectation and all this hype. Just focus on doing your job to the best of your ability, and he did that.
On using previous Georgia matchups in preparation…
Golding: Obviously, both. Anytime you’re going against a coordinator that you’ve been against several different times, you always look for patterns and things that have given you issues versus those guys in the past. Here are the explosives. Here are the negative-yardage plays. What are they expecting? But also, they do a really good job of looking at what you’ve had issues with this year that maybe they haven’t done in the past three games you’re looking at since Bobo’s been there, that they’re going to attack. There are some new things they’ve put in this year that weren’t on previous years, that they’ve added to their package. But that’s a huge piece to it. Here’s the understanding of what they know about our system, and how do they try to attack us? What’s been consistent about that over the years? Then what have we put on tape this year that we’ve got to get corrected, that we know we’ll see from a copycat standpoint?
On Luke Ferrelli, Tah’j Butler and the linebacker rotation….
Golding: We kind of talked about it in the offseason and even in camp, that I saw those three guys as starters. Regardless of which one was in the game, we trusted that they could do the job and play at a high level. We said Saturday that Luke was banged up all week. He’s been banged up for a while with the ankle. It was going to be kind of a game-time decision on him. Felt like he could go to start out the game, and then just didn’t feel like he was at 100% to be able to play efficient football. Tah’j stepped in and played really well. I think he’s getting better every week, becoming more comfortable with the system. He’s got a really high football IQ, and I think he’s doing a really good job finishing on the ball carrier, which we need him to do. Keaton’s been pretty steady in there as well. Between those three, it’s been a really good rotation.
On what makes Oxford such a difficult place to play…
Golding: I think No. 1, obviously, you’ve got to have good players. You’ve got to have a quarterback regardless of where you’re at. But I think the atmosphere that’s created by our fans, by our students, the game-day atmosphere on top of it makes it extremely tough to play. When offenses come in here, the crowd noise and all those things are a big piece. But I think that’s pretty consistent, right? Not making light of it, across the board in the SEC. Obviously, my time at the other place, I was there five and a half years, and we lost one home game. Very similar to this. Since we’ve been here, it’s been one home game. I think you look at Georgia, I think they’ve lost two in the last seven years. That one at Auburn this year, outside of that I think it was Bama in the last seven or eight years. When you have really good football players who are well-coached, and you have an unbelievable fan base that comes in and creates a great, great environment, it’s hard to play. You’re talking about, normally, if it’s a night game, it’s almost a day and a half of less preparation. You’re not in your meeting rooms. All those routines and those other things that go into the last 36 hours of a game that are so important, you really don’t get because of the traveling piece. Where are you meeting? Can you walk through? Does it even have a walkthrough space? There are so many other things that you add on to the road that I think affect it a little bit as well, to be honest. But I think here, our fans have done an unbelievable job. I think the game-day atmosphere has been unbelievable. It goes back to our players executing and playing really well at home, and they have.
On Tony Mitchell’s departure from the program…
Golding: That was something through the spring and the summer where there were some violations of team rules. Then it just got to the point that it was best for both parties to go in a different direction.
On the importance of having Deuce Knight as a backup quarterback…
Golding: I think last year was a prime example of that, right? You start last year with Austin, and then Austin gets banged up. Then this guy named Trinidad comes in and has the year he has. Now, regardless of the level, we talk about this all the time. If you don’t have a quarterback who can go in and operate the offense at a high level and create problems for defenses, it’s hard to win in this league. Deuce was a big piece of the offseason puzzle. If something were to occur and happen to Trinidad, do you have a guy who can go in there and create problems for defenses and play winning football? On top of having a lot of years in front of him to be able to come in and learn the system, and have stability in the system to potentially be the future as well. I think you have to have that. All the championship football teams now, if you don’t have that, you’re not going to win a championship. This is a very physical game. It’s a physical league, and they’re going to get banged up. It can be as simple as a helmet coming off. Little things where you’ve got to be able to plug and play and put guys in there, and that’s a critical position. We’re extremely lucky and fortunate to have him.
On the development of Ole Miss’ wide receivers…
Golding: I think every week it seems like it’s a different dude almost, which is exciting. I think it shows a couple of things. I think the development of the position. I think LD’s done a really good job. I think it’s the planning from an offensive standpoint between JDB and Joe of taking what the defense gives them. I think it goes back to Trinidad playing quarterback and going through progressions and not force-feeding the one guy, sometimes like I feel we’ve done before. But also, I think the recruiting piece of Caleb Cunningham, who came up Saturday. A guy who’s come here out of high school, learned the system, waited his turn, and he’s playing really good football right now. I think it’s a combination of all those. Some of the portal guys, obviously, that we brought in are playing well. The most exciting thing to me coming out of that game is I feel like our most explosive guy didn’t play well. That’s what I told him coming off the field. But you’ve got a room where you can go to other places, and other guys can step up when somebody’s not at their best. I think they’ve done a really good job, and it’s a selfless group. They’re really tight and have good rapport with each other. You kind of see that by how they play. Not a lot of individuals, and they really don’t care who gets the credit. I think that’s a combination of a lot of things. The system, JDB, LD, the recruiting staff and all that. I really like where they’re at.
On Will Echoles’ charity work and contributions off the field…
Golding: That’s the best thing about Will. He’s not going to bring that up. Obviously, his mom, during the recruiting process and all that, I’m well aware of some of the things that he does, not only for our community, but the community that he grew up in in Houston. He’s got an unbelievable heart, but he comes from the right people. He’s got the right circle. I know his mom is staying on his butt to make sure that he continues to make an impact and help others. But he’s definitely not the one to go talk about it and make it a big deal. Really proud. We’ve got a lot of guys, I think, who do that kind of stuff, not in the limelight, but because they want to, because they know it’s important. He’s definitely one of them.
On Joenel Aguero’s impact in the secondary…
Golding: I think a physical presence. We kind of talked about that. I think he runs the alley. He’s really physical. I think he’s getting more comfortable game in and game out from a communication standpoint and doing things right. But the experience that he brings, having been on championship football teams before, understanding what it takes, having played in a lot of big games. He’s been really steady. Not too high, not too low. Hasn’t been perfect by any means, but comes in here every day ready to go to work and tries to improve every week. We’ll need him to play really well this week, for sure.
On handling the physical toll of the SEC schedule…
Golding: I think the biggest thing is probably just putting our focus on what we can control. I know everybody talks about doing that, but how do you emphasize that? I think part of building a team is knowing, man, you’re going to nine games this year, right? It’s going to be really physical. It’s going to be really hard. Obviously, with the expectations of trying to be a playoff team and making that constant, that’s potentially 15-, 16-game seasons every year. Really, really long. A lot goes into it. I think the strength and conditioning component of that, the nutrition staff and all those types of things have a huge impact on that, trying to keep guys healthy. Pat does an unbelievable job in the training room. But for us, it’s how many guys can we get in the offseason, the summer and fall camp to play winning football? Regardless of who’s in there and when and what game, can we trust them to do their job? I think that’s the thing that’s hard for some of these guys when they’re not getting early playing time, to still prepare like a starter and still practice like a starter. Because you really don’t know when that time’s going to be. We kind of talked about it with the freshmen. Some of these freshmen are playing well now. That development has to continue even though you’re not getting on the field. Because by game six or game seven, we’re going to have some guys banged up. We’re going to have some bruises, and you’re not a freshman anymore, right? You’ve just got to be able to step up and do your job. When you build it the right way, the depth piece at this time of the year is critical, to where when somebody comes in, there’s not this huge drop-off. You don’t feel like, “All right, now half your menu’s gone,” and you’ve got to be really specific on what you call when they’re in. Can you play winning football when the next guy goes in? I think to win in this league, you’ve got to have a complete program. You’ve got to have recruited really well. You’ve got to have a good strength staff. Yeah, scheme’s a part of it, but the next-man-up mentality, you’ve got to come in and go to work and prepare really hard. I think we’ve got a lot of guys right now who are practicing the right way, preparing the right way. When they get the opportunity, they’ve got to take advantage of it.
On the first College Football Playoff rankings…
Golding: I don’t know what the exact numbers are, but I think when that first poll came out last year, there were several teams that were in it that didn’t make it. And I think there were several teams that made it that weren’t in it. To the point of controlling what we can control, you’re damn sure not going to be worried about that if you don’t go out and play really well on Saturday. We’re going to take this thing one game at a time, one day at a time, and go out and look up in December and see where that thing is. We’ve got a lot of really quality opponents before then that we’re going to have to prepare for and play really well against. It’s always nice from a program standpoint, obviously, to be talked about and be in those things from a recruiting standpoint and public perception and all that. But this team knows, for a long time, we control our destiny every Saturday. We better do everything that we can Monday through Friday to give ourselves our best shot. So no, I’m not going to be paying attention, to answer your question.
