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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding and Miami head coach Mario Cristobal each addressed media today ahead of next week’s Fiesta Bowl, discussing a wide variety of topics involving on- and off-field conversations surrounding the Rebels and Hurricanes.
Out of the gate, Golding took several questions regarding the coaching status of former Ole Miss assistants who are now employed by Lane Kiffin and LSU. Earlier this morning, it was reported that Charlie Weis Jr. would be the only LSU staff member returning to coach for the Fiesta Bowl, sending Kevin Smith and Joe Cox, among others, back to Baton Rouge to focus their efforts on the transfer portal.
However, in contradictory fashion as seems to be the case with this whole scenario, it was later reported on Saturday afternoon by Chris Low that Kevin Smith will join Weis and continue to coach both Ole Miss and LSU until their playoff run is over.
According to Low, he received the following text message from Kevin Smith on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m going to finish the job! And do my job here (at LSU)!”
– Kevin Smith (to Chris Low) on his coaching plan
As for Golding, the Rebels’ head coach made it clear that whether it’s Weis, Smith, both of them — or none — the team will not stutter in either preparation or on-field production.
“That would not be any excuse for success or not…But y’all can keep blowing it up and making a big deal out of it. We’re going to go out and spot the ball. We’ve got plenty enough people (coaches) who showed up today, and we’ll be just fine.”
– Pete Golding on the coaching situation at Ole Miss
Moving into the opponent at hand for Ole Miss, Golding addressed the potential challenges of facing another former Nick Saban assistant in Mario Cristobal. The Hurricanes’ head coach spent time in Tuscaloosa as the offensive line coach from 2013 to 2016.
“I think number one, what you learned from Coach Saban is you better go out and recruit good players. ‘Big people beat up little people…’ There’s also a discipline component that Coach Saban lived by.“
– Golding on facing former Nick Saban assistants
Not only has Miami recruited an unbelievably talented roster, but they’ve also exceeded the level of physicality as described by Golding. Just last week, the Canes rushed for 153 yards on the ground and recorded five sacks defensively against the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in a dominant 24-14 win.
Despite taking down last year’s national champion, Cristobal informed the media today that regardless of who they’ve played and who they have the potential to play, he believes Ole Miss will be the most difficult opponent they face in their entire season.
“(Ole Miss) is the best team we have faced and will face this season.“
– Mario Cristobal on the Rebels
In addition to complimenting the players of Ole Miss, Mario also talked about his respect and admiration for Pete Golding since the beginning of his head coaching stint following Lane Kiffin’s departure.
“He’s done an awesome job… I watched him as a coordinator do unbelievable things, and to see him get that opportunity is, quite frankly, awesome. He is a guy that has proven himself at the highest level, and when you do that, I think you deserve your opportunity.”
– Mario Cristobal on Pete Golding
Next Up
Ole Miss vs. Miami will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Central Time in Glendale, Arizona, and be broadcast on ESPN. As always, for all of your Ole Miss content, be sure to stay tuned with The Rebel Walk.
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Zach Moreth
Zach is a sophomore at Ole Miss and a Digital Content Creator with The Rebel Walk. Outside of covering sports, he enjoys spending time with family and hanging out with friends. Zach plans on graduating from Ole Miss in 2027 with a Sports Administration degree.
