TRANSCRIPT: Everything Pete Golding said Monday as Ole Miss Turns Page to Georgia Ahead of Sugar Bowl Showdown

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OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss’ postseason journey continues with little time to pause. Following a playoff victory, the Rebels now shift their preparation toward Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, a rematch that demands precision on both sides of the ball. In a Monday press conference, head coach Pete Golding outlined his approach, stressing execution, mental readiness, and limiting mistakes as the Rebels move forward.

Here’s everything Coach Golding had to say:

COACH GOLDING: I was just recapping yesterday for us, an exciting time for Ole Miss and for our community, but more importantly, for our players. Thought we did what we needed to do to win the game. The message to the players was: You’re playing for an opportunity to play again. I thought for the most part, especially offensively, we executed really well. Some things, obviously, we need to clean up from a defensive standpoint, with some explosive tackle around the perimeter. Thought the energy was good. Thought the attitude was good. They played well enough to win the game.

Q. Obviously this time around, you will be facing Georgia in a different role. What did you see from them last time? And what do you feel like will be different, just on your end getting ready to face them in the playoffs?

COACH GOLDING: Well, hopefully we can get them to at least punt one time. That would be a good start. No, I mean, extremely talented football team. Very well coached. Premier college football team, in my opinion, and have been for some time. They do a really good job on offense. Using multiple formations. Creating extra gaps. Do a good job really of running the football. The run sets up their play action. The quarterback has got experience and is playing at a really high level. Very accurate, makes really good decisions. To have a chance, you’ve got to be able to stop the run, which is easier said than done. We need to be really smart on the back end and play to our help and leverage and change that picture for them. You’ve got to create some turnovers and some takeaways within the game to get the offense back on.

Offensively, I think we had some success early. Obviously, we’re really talented on the perimeter, I think. I think our quarterback is playing at a high level. But you’re going to have to be able to run the football effectively versus them, especially when you have to. I think that’s the biggest thing.They’ve been in a lot of big games. Kirby [Smart] does an unbelievable job. They don’t panic. You’re going to have to close out the game in the fourth quarter — just like we didn’t do last time. Got to play really sound, regardless of who you play at this point. You got to execute. Got to take care of the football on offense. Got to take it away on defense.

Q. We saw that Archie Manning spoke to the team on Friday and Eli [Manning] embraced you when you walked on to the field on Saturday. What’s it been like having the Manning family around the Ole Miss program the past few days?

COACH GOLDING: It’s been awesome. They’re a big part of Ole Miss history and the legacy they’ve created for themselves while they were here. There was a previous relationship prior to this from the recruitment of Arch as well. They got to know a lot of those guys. Not really Eli and that, because obviously he was up in New York. But him coming back, regardless of who was going to be in this seat, Eli was probably going to be at the first playoff game at his alma matter. But having Archie back and talking to the team and the message that he said to them on Friday had a huge impact for our players. Our guys driving around campus, they see that 18 sign and for him to be able to stand up in front of them and present the message he did was pretty awesome.

Q. What’s the schedule for you guys this week in terms of staff, where they’re going to be, when do the players come back, that kind of thing?

COACH GOLDING: Yeah, obviously we went through the game, cleaned the game up last night. Went through the corrections, all that stuff. Moved on to Georgia this morning and walked through format. We’re going to give them a couple of days off for Christmas, then bring them back Christmas night and go to work as a normal Monday would be on the 26th.

So no different than when we first prepared, that week before that we got into it for Tulane and that bye week. We have coaches that have other jobs like a lot of teams do right now. They’re working two different jobs. So when it’s not game week, they work in the role in their other job. And when it’s game week, they’re fully vested in where they’re at. So it’s no different than anywhere else.

Q. I was wondering if you had an early update on health with Kewan [Lacy] and maybe [Caleb] Odom and maybe some of the other guys that went out on Saturday?

COACH GOLDING: We’re still working through that right now. Obviously, several of those guys came back into the game after the injury occurred. Not feeling any issues on those. But we’re still working through some of the other ones.

Q. Coach, how different does it feel for you? I mean, the beginning of the year, you’re a coordinator. And now, just your second game in and you’re getting ready to be coaching in the playoffs. Could you really have ever imagined a scenario like this?

COACH GOLDING: Absolutely not, no. I don’t look from a game standpoint of the coaching piece, especially still calling the defense. The preparation piece of it and your normal routine, it’s pretty consistent.The difference obviously, controlling the schedule, especially when you’re going to two different sites, practicing here and going three days prior. Some of the management of those things. And throw Christmas on top of it and the travel component. Some of those things that you were just worried about one side of the ball. Now you’ve got a lot more problems to be able to help. But we’ve got a really good crew around us, guys who do a really good job. The ball part of it is easy. I don’t think whether it’s the Sugar Bowl, or the first round, or you’re playing Mississippi State: Once you get late in the season, if you lose, you’re probably not going to be playoffs.

Right now, if you lose, your season is ended.

That piece of it, we’ve been fortunate to be in a lot of these. We have to play really well and focus on the right things in our preparation and how we practice and those things. If we let Christmas gets in the way and hotel rooms and tickets and all that outside noise, we’re probably not going to win the game anyway. We’re going to give them time off, let them get away from it, which I think is really important. I think mental component is just as important as the physical component this time of year. It’s been a long season. I want them to get away for a couple of days and come back ready to go.

Q. Coach, I know going through the season, you kind of switched directions and focused on going to the next opponent. But off the top of your head, what are some of the foundational pieces that you remember from the Georgia game that you’re kind of already ready to implement to prepare for the Sugar Bowl this time around?

COACH GOLDING: You got to get them behind the sticks on early downs from a defensive standpoint. You can’t just bleed the entire time, three, four, five, six and you never get them off course. They have their whole playbook, regardless of down or distance. You’ve got to create some third and longs. And when you create third and long, you’ve got to get off the field. There was a critical one — two of them really in the first game, the third and 8 and then the low red zone that we had a coverage bus and they scored instead of holding them to a field goal.

The very next drive, we get them third and 7 backed up and bringing the corner pressure. The corner doesn’t come and they run zone right into it and get a first down. When you do get them behind and you get to third and down, you’ve got to get off the field. There’s going to be some 50/50 balls that you’re going to have to contest. That’s the biggest thing versus these guys. You’ve got to contest every play. We can’t give them free things. Whether it’s a lack of communication, whether it’s a mixed tackle. The first time we played them, we had double-digit missed tackles on defense. When you’re playing an elite team with elite players that are really well coached, you can’t give them things. They’re going to get enough on their own. Some spots, they might like the match-up better than we do. You’ve got to be on the same page. Communication has to be very good.

They do a good job formation and motions and shifts with alternative formations to really make you communicate, to try to have the chalk last.But I think more importantly is not giving up explosive plays. Contesting them. They’re going to have some, but they’ve got to be contested plays. And then tackling really well on the perimeter is going to be

extremely important. And then on offense, control and drives. Still being explosive through the pass game like we were in the first game. But we’ve got to convert that first down. We’ve got to be able to execute and take care of the football.

Q. Coach, Patrick Carter posted earlier today that this was his first playoff victory as interim wide receiver coach. Because of the dual jobs that you mentioned earlier, have you had to adjust some roles or duties to analysts because some guys are bouncing back and forth between a different place?

COACH GOLDING: I think the first Sunday when all this went down, the next guy that was in the room, I said: Hey, when those guys aren’t here, you take this like this is your room. Those players are going to be looking for you. They’re going to need direction, right? It’s a good opportunity for a lot of young guys from an interview standpoint. You run it like you would run it if you were to run a room when they’re not here. And when they’re here, it’s their room and it’s the same role you were doing prior to the 2025 season. That’s no different than a lot of them. That’s been the same way everywhere.

Q. You talked about the assistants that will not be here next year kind of managing the time game week, versus the time before game week. How much is that true for you, too, in terms of you planning ahead for ’26 and filling out staff and figuring all of that out now — versus prepping for a game and getting ready for that next playoff game?

COACH GOLDING: I think everybody in the country is having to do that. You’re going through the retention of your own roster, which you’re not going to know until January 2nd. Then what pieces are graduating; will declare early for the draft that you’re going to need to replace. Will a guy that you see be able to make an impact immediately? Having those guys ready to roll for when the portal opens. The visits will have to happen pretty quick. The turnover is pretty quick and have a plan in place. That doesn’t matter if you have coaching turnover or not. Every school in the country is having to do that, manage that. That’s always been the case at this point. So it’s nothing out of the norm.