SUGAR BOWL TRANSCRIPT: Pete Golding, Trinidad Chambliss and Will Echoles on Grit, Trust and a Season-Defining Playoff Win

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NEW ORLEANS — In the aftermath of one of the most dramatic wins in Ole Miss football history, the emotions poured out just as freely as the pride. From the resilience shown after halftime to the calm execution in the game’s final seconds, the Rebels once again proved who they are when everything is on the line. Head coach Pete Golding, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, and defensive leaders like Will Echoles spoke candidly following the Sugar Bowl victory, reflecting on grit, trust, and a team that refused to flinch. What followed was a window into a locker room bound by belief, sharpened by adversity, and still hungry for what comes next.

Here’s everything Coach Golding, Trinidad Chambliss and Will Echoles had to say: 

COACH GOLDING: Just super excited for our players. I thought they responded the right way. Definitely didn’t play our cleanest football in the first half on either side of the ball, and kind of challenged them at halftime and said, you know, look, we were up nine on these guys going into the fourth quarter last time. Let’s play 30 minutes of football and outphysical them and execute. They responded like they have all year. It’s a super tough group. They’ve got a lot of grit, and they love playing football, and they’re not tired of it. So just really, really proud of the group and the effort that took place tonight.

Q. Coach, obviously a crazy ending there. What was the difference in the second half to be able to turn it on? And what were you telling your guys at halftime about being that close still and that you’re in it?

COACH GOLDING: Yeah. I think the first half we didn’t leverage the ball very well on defense. We’re getting to the ball; we just had a lot of missed tackles. This was an issue when we played them the first time. We had double-digit missed tackles and understanding angles and all that. So we weren’t really concerned from a scheme standpoint. There wasn’t anything at halftime where we were like, all right, we’ve got to change a lot of things. We’ve just got to execute better and get the guy with the ball on the ground. Then offensively, they didn’t stop us in the first half. We turned one over and then did a poor job, obviously, with the clock at the end to not get three. So wasn’t concerned about that at all. We just said, look — I told them all, Take a deep breath, let’s go play one at a time, and we’ve got good enough players. We’ve got good enough players to beat anybody. And so when they’re on the same page, we will beat anybody.

Q. Coach, it’s been obviously a whirlwind stretch for your team and you’ve been focused on your guys. But you’re now capping a weekend where a lot of recent national title winners in this sport have fallen to teams that haven’t won it all in quite a while. With all you’ve been through in the last few weeks, what do you think it takes for a team to succeed at this kind of strange moment in college football in 2026?

COACH GOLDING: I think you’ve got to have the right guys. What I mean by that, I think they’ve got to be tough, I think they’ve got to be competitive, I think they’ve got to love football. I think you’ve got a lot of guys on other teams that don’t love football. There’s one thing about this group, they love football. They love competing, they like practicing, they like preparing, and they like playing. I think at this point in the year, you better have a group of guys that still wants to play, because every time you go out there and you spot the ball, you’re playing for another opportunity to play. And these guys aren’t tired of playing, and it’s fun watching them.

Q. Trinidad, just first of all, what are the emotions like for you right now? And then two, the last time you played them, you guys lost that fourth quarter. This time you were able to win the fourth quarter. I guess from your perspective, what was the biggest difference?

TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS: Yeah. My emotions right now, it’s crazy right now. Really speechless, honestly, about everything, because it was that same point, we were down nine — or they were down nine the last time we played them, so it was kind of like roles reversed. And then, obviously, played them before. I didn’t play my best in the fourth quarter, so I wanted to redeem myself and get back again. So, honestly, just trusting my guys. Our coaches put us in a great position and we executed.

Q. Coach, from a tight-knit community like Hammond, America, to come in and to hear your name in the Superdome in front of 68,000 people chanting, talk about what this moment feels like after your coaching journey and all the noise this season.

COACH GOLDING: Yeah. I think it feels very good for our players. I think it doesn’t register from a coaching standpoint, I think, until the season is done and the work is done and you can look back and reflect at some point. But they deserve for us to get ready for this next one. And it was an awesome turnout for our team. The fans — you know, it felt like a home game to me, looking up and hearing them. And then for these guys to play the way they did and to be able to come back in a game like that versus a team like that. They’re one of the best teams in the country and one of the best coaches in the country. So they’re never scared and they don’t panic, and that’s what I love about this group. They don’t ever get too high; they don’t get too low. They want to get coached. They want to get coached hard, and they want another opportunity. And no different than [Kewan] Lacy. He fumbled it, he came right to me, and he said, Coach, I got you, don’t worry. I said, I’m not. That’s who they are, man. They’re wired the right way.

Q. This could be for either of the players, or both of you. I think the “team of destiny” term can get thrown around a lot, but you guys have been through so much. I think a lot of fans that maybe don’t have a dog in the fight are pleased to see you guys win and pulling for you because of what you’ve been through. Do you buy into that at all? Does it matter to you? Do you feel like you have that “team of destiny” energy about you?

TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS: Yeah, I mean, we’re not really focused on destiny or anything like that. We just want to play ball and have fun. A lot of people did doubt us before the season and they still doubted us when our coach left. We just want to play ball and have fun, and I think that’s showing right now.

WILL ECHOLES: Yeah, we try to block out the noise and just keep the main thing, the main thing and go win. No matter who we play, just spot the ball.

Q. This question is either for Coach Golding or for Trinidad. In the last drive, in the ultimate game-winning drive, after you got into field-goal range, you followed it up with the pass play. And I found that rather peculiar because that pass was almost intercepted. Can you walk me through the decision to follow that up with the pass play instead of perhaps keeping it on the ground. And can you talk about the two subsequent passes and why you may not have taken more time off the clock than what you ended up doing? Because there were nine seconds left when you kicked that game-winning field goal.

COACH GOLDING: Yes, sir. So there were 20-something seconds left on the clock and we had no timeouts. So if you run the ball and you’re tackled inbounds, the clock runs, and then you’re running red field goal out there at that moment, which is crazy. And a lot of things can happen. So, the first was an out route into the boundary to try to get a cheap five, because every three yards increases your field goal percentage by 10%. So we’re trying to move it up five more yards. They did try to trap it. So after that it was air balls to delay time off the clock, throw it over the head knowing we’re not going to turn the ball over right here. And so that was the philosophy behind it, knowing there was going to be about a three-second play once we made the field goal. And that would be a kickoff, and you’re going to defend one play because we were going to kick it out of the back of the end zone. Then you were going to call circus and be find. So that was the thought process.

Q. Will, you said one of the goals, when we talked to you earlier this week, was to have Georgia punt. 21 points in the second quarter. What kind of halftime adjustments did you guys have to stop Georgia in the third quarter?

WILL ECHOLES: Just making open-field tackles, taking the right angle. I think the biggest thing in this game was the third downs, having them in long third downs so we can get our pass rushers on the field and let them rush.

Q. Pete, I was curious with you being a defensive guy, Lucas [Carneiro] being a kicker. How well do you know him? What’s your relationship like so far? And what gave you the confidence to chart him out early in the first half? And what did you see in the game-winner?

COACH GOLDING: I think a lot of people in the country think Lucas is the best kicker in the country, so a lot of people want Lucas. So I’ve been meeting with Lucas a lot lately. We’ve had a lot of good meetings here, and especially this week. I got to spend a lot of time with him one-on-one and just getting to know him a little more and figuring out what he wants in the future. We knew he was special, with Coach Schoony (Jake Schoonover) recruiting him last year. We felt like he was the best kicker in the country coming out of Western Kentucky last year. He’s done an unbelievable job this year. These guys will tell you, our Fast Friday we ended with field goal script, and it didn’t look like that. We made him do it again. Then we made him do it again. He got his Mulligans out on Friday, what we call a Fast Friday, which was yesterday. He’s ready to go. Got all the confidence in the world with him.

Q. Just the last seven weeks, the defense looks completely different than it did against Georgia the first time around. What are the biggest differences you’ve seen from that side of the ball?

COACH GOLDING: Yeah. You guys when y’all watch defense, y’all look at stats and points. My man said 21 points. One was a scoop-and-score, right? The defense wasn’t out there. So a lot of it is that scheme base and things like that. I mean, angles, missed tackles. My big thing coming into the game, we wanted to leverage the ball really well, which we didn’t at times, and we wanted to contest every play. So what I mean by contesting every play, when they go up and make a play over the top of us, I’m good with that. I’m okay with that. Everybody’s on the same page; they did their job. When we have busts versus good teams, you’re going to get beat. And guys are running free, like the fourth down. We have a bust in the coverage, and it’s not contested, that’s bad football and you’re not going to win big games like that. So that was the thing that we’ve got to continue to clean up, because we did not do that consistently tonight and it’s going to get us. And so we’ve got to clean those up and become more consistent.

Q. Coach, growing up right down the road, how special is this moment for you leading Ole Miss to one of the best wins in school history?

COACH GOLDING: I was super grateful for the opportunity that obviously our chancellor (Glenn F. Boyce) and Keith [Carter] gave me to step in with these guys. And a lot of guys put a lot of work into this in our building and our community and our fan base and recruit really good players like these two guys. And to be around these dudes on a daily basis, I don’t want it to end. And, yeah, it’s definitely special, being 35 miles away. My brother lives in New Orleans, a bunch of family. A bunch of Hammond High boys here tonight. Absolutely, we love playing in the Dome. But more importantly, for these guys to have an opportunity for a championship. And that’s the one thing that’s been consistent for us since we’ve been here for three years. This guy over here was pissed off last year we didn’t make the playoffs. I know everybody else was doubting us this season, but the goal this season, why Trinidad [Chambliss] came, was to compete for a championship. That’s something we’re going to do around here on a consistent basis. For our two athletes up here, just how much do you appreciate [Lucas] Carneiro and what he did in the Sugar Bowl, breaking his own record twice in the game, the game-winner, and what a kicker adds to the team even though he’s not on the field so often? And what are the emotions of the roller coaster at the end of the game with how all of that play happened?

TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS: Yeah, Lucas, we have all of our trust in Lucas. Like PG just said, during our Fast Friday — we call it Fast Friday. But the day before the game, it’s like a walkthrough. And he went out there and missed two field goals, and that’s very uncharacteristic of him. So for him to hit the game-winning field goal, there’s no doubt in our minds that he won’t be able to make that. So we always have trust in Lucas. Yeah, we believe in him. And for the emotions, the things that happened towards the end of the game, it was kind of weird and hectic at times because we didn’t know if the game was over or if we still had to go out there. So it was just kind of funny seeing them drag the stands back off the field and just get everybody off, back on the sidelines. So that was pretty funny.

WILL ECHOLES: You know, I’m just glad how the game played out. We were up three. They came back into a field goal, kicked a field goal. I want to say Lucas yesterday — He was talking about Fast Friday. I think Lucas missed that field goal at that exact same spot. For him to come back and hit that field goal to win the game, I’m very happy for him.

Q. Will, you grabbed the mic there at the end and addressed Corey Amos’ mother and said some words. What did this game and this win mean for y’all in that regard? And how much was he kind of on y’all’s hearts and minds this week being in New Orleans?

WILL ECHOLES: He’s been on my mind heavy. He’s on my mind really all day. When we breaking it down after practice, we break it down on C4. We gave his mom the game jersey yesterday before the game, and we talked with her a lot. She shares more stories about him and how great of a kid he was. I was just glad that we got to come to New Orleans to play in his home state and represent him.

Q. Trinidad, are you still waiting on your appeal for next year?

TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS: Yeah, I am. I think the NCAA is closed right now. I’m pretty sure they open tomorrow. So, hopefully we hear an answer soon.

Q. How have you kept that process from being distracting to you? Are you having other people work on it for you? How do you compartmentalize that?

TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS: Yeah, I’ve got people working on it. I’m not the one that’s working on it. My job right now is to focus on football and to focus on this team and to focus on being 1-0 in the next game, so that’s my main focus right now.

Q. Will, I’m just curious, were you surprised when they snapped the ball on that fourth-down play in the fourth quarter, that y’all ended up getting a sack on? And what does it say about the preparation of this defense that you were ready when it happened?

WILL ECHOLES: It just shows you that we don’t flinch. I wasn’t surprised because I knew it was a big play in the game. So, I’m not going to say I was surprised, but [Suntarine] Perkins made a great play. I think he went on block, went and got a strip sack. So, made a good play.

Final Thoughts

What this night revealed was not just a win, but an identity. Ole Miss didn’t survive this moment by accident — they earned it through trust, toughness, and a refusal to panic when everything tightened. In a season defined by noise and uncertainty, this group has remained anchored to the work and to each other. And now, with another opportunity ahead, the Rebels move forward carrying more than momentum — they carry belief. Belief forged in pressure, proven under lights, and strengthened by every challenge they’ve faced. This team isn’t finished yet. They’re still playing.