OXFORD, Miss. — With “Pete!” chants ringing out loudly inside a nonetheless packed Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, a fired-up and soaking moist Pete Golding embraced the second strolling off the sphere along with his two sons, pumped his fist to the sky and emphatically tossed his visor into the group.
It was a transfer his predecessor Lane Kiffin had made earlier than, however this was completely different.
After Kiffin jilted Ole Miss for LSU, the Rebels trustworthy wanted somebody to direct their adoration to and so they did so overwhelmingly for a first-time head coach who simply delivered the primary playoff win in program historical past. Ole Miss followers liked Pete Golding, and he liked them again.
“Effectively, we simply had a house playoff sport in Oxford, first rate signing day and we simply received the sport,” Golding deadpanned in regards to the chants of his identify. “I am nicely conscious how the opposite aspect goes when you do not win the sport so I have been on each side of that.”
After No. 6 Ole Miss’ 43-10 blowout win over No. 11 Tulane to arrange a Sugar Bowl rematch in opposition to No. 3 Georgia, it may be straightforward to disregard how a lot stress Golding confronted in his debut. In his first ever sport as a head coach, Golding needed to win a playoff sport at dwelling in opposition to a staff the Kiffin-led Ole Miss staff beat by 35 factors in September. He had to take action after a chaotic stretch wherein Kiffin’s will-he-or-won’t-he determination sucked all of the oxygen out of this system and overshadowed the particular season the Rebels had been having.
Shedding Kiffin, who fought till the very finish to educate this staff by the playoff, might have imploded a lesser staff. No head coach has ever left a playoff-bound staff earlier than it performed within the School Soccer Playoff, and it might be awhile earlier than we see one other pull a Kiffin. There have been plenty of feelings — some good, some dangerous — for a gaggle of college-aged males to should course of in real-time over the past two weeks main as much as this sport.
Perhaps getting Tulane as the primary post-Kiffin sport was the best situation for Ole Miss to search out its footing. It definitely appeared straightforward from the bounce as Ole Miss raced out to a 14-0 lead and did not quit a landing till a garbage-time rating with 4 minutes left within the sport.
However you possibly can think about how disastrous it might have been for Golding, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and the remainder of the teaching employees if Tulane in some way received. Carter made a daring determination to carry his floor in not permitting Kiffin to proceed to educate this staff, after which doubled down selling Golding from defensive coordinator to full-time head coach.
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Ole Miss badly wanted Golding to show it might win on the highest ranges with out Kiffin. It is just one sport, however Golding handed the take a look at with flying colours.
The staff didn’t miss a beat. It helped that offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. dedicated to calling the performs by the Rebels’ playoff run earlier than leaving for good to affix Kiffin in Baton Rouge. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the way in which with 282 passing yards, one passing landing and two speeding touchdowns.
Golding wasn’t apprehensive about how the offense would look underneath Weis Jr., similar to he wasn’t apprehensive about his offensive coordinator reneging on a dedication to complete out the season.
“I had zero concern with Charlie Weis calling this factor for one motive: Charlie Weis can not afford to not name a hell of a sport,” Golding mentioned. “All he is heard is all Lane Kiffin’s offense, Lane Kiffin’s offense, Lane Kiffin’s offense. That is his one alternative for folks to comprehend Charlie Weis calls the offense — similar to he is accomplished all yr — and did an important job tonight. I had no concern as a result of the very last thing Charlie needs to do is come out and lay an egg.”
There have been each refined and noticeable variations between this Ole Miss staff underneath Golding than the one which completed the common season 11-1.
After Golding took over, he talked to each participant on the roster and had two vital questions:
What’s the No. 1 factor you like about Ole Miss soccer?
What’s the greatest factor you’ll change in the event you might?
The solutions to the second query and motion objects that stemmed from it had been attention-grabbing. The gimmicky basketball hoop Ole Miss gamers would dunk on to have fun touchdowns and turnovers was nowhere to be discovered Saturday (at the same time as Ole Miss compelled three turnovers). One other, extra refined change? Golding agreed to permit gamers to put on no matter coloration cleats they’d like so long as they had been Nike. Kiffin had the gamers all put on the identical coloration shoe.
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It is the little issues that distinguish Golding the top coach from Golding the defensive coordinator. He is nonetheless calling the defensive performs and he is nonetheless coming into his personal as a head coach, however you possibly can see the potential. There’s an authenticity from Golding that’s uncommon from the standard coachspeak and cliched solutions you often hear.
“He simply has that head coach swag about himself,” mentioned Ole Miss co-defensive coordinator Bryan Brown. “He controls the second, he controls the narrative, something he needs to regulate. The fellows consider in him, similar to they do defensively, and you possibly can see it flip over to our entire staff. He is an important human being, he is an important coach, an important motivator and he is aware of soccer in and out.”
Stated quarterbacks coach Joe Choose: “Pete’s Pete. I believe what makes him so particular is he isn’t going to vary it doesn’t matter what title or label you placed on. He is at all times been the identical man.”
Golding remains to be tough across the edges. The 41-year outdated Louisiana native admitted he is attempting to cuss much less, however let’s simply say that is very a lot a piece in progress. There have been instances Golding turned his postgame press convention right into a mini-comedy hour along with his deadpan solutions, self-deprecating humorousness and colourful language.
Take into account his reply about serving to his staff navigate what has been a chaotic previous couple of weeks.
“I do not assume it was very laborious in any respect, as a result of, I imply, it would be one factor, no disrespect, if this was the Pop-Tarts Bowl or one thing like that, that shit could be actually laborious,” Golding mentioned. “That is the playoffs. When folks began speaking about are they gonna play, are they not gonna play? What are you speaking about?”
The following problem figures to be so much more durable than what Golding confronted Saturday. Ole Miss already performed Georgia as soon as this season, a 43-35 loss in Athens. Golding’s protection gave up 34 first downs, 510 complete yards and by no means compelled the Bulldogs to punt within the sport. A repeat of that efficiency will not be adequate down in New Orleans on New Yr’s Day within the Sugar Bowl.
That is an issue for Golding to fret about tomorrow.
On Saturday night time in entrance of a school-record crowd inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Golding received his first sport as a head coach and gave an Ole Miss fanbase a pleasure it had by no means skilled earlier than. It was value a celebratory visor toss and a lot extra.
