Lane Kiffin's encouraging message for DC Pete Golding is a timely shot of confidence

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin talked up DC Pete Golding when the opportunity was right, and it was a great head coaching move as they prepare to take on their Week 11 opponent.

With the Rebels now fair and square in the 2025 CFP talks, Kiffin knows they need their offense to perform as good as their offense, if not better, to sustain in the postseason.

And the Rebels' defense has been improving at a steady pace, too. Now, they're at a stage where Golding's plays could hold off offences and run out the clock to emerge victorious. They did it against Oklahoma, and then again vs. South Carolina last Saturday.

That's precisely why Kiffin had high praise for the defense coaches, lauding them as the "best coaching job our assistants have done."

"Well, we’ve been up and down, we’ve played better as of late, you know, but we’re not anywhere near where last year’s was. But I think we’re improving, and I think we’ve done a really good job kind of scheming around the teams we played, and I think Coach Golding and the staff have done a great job," Kiffin said in his weekly SEC teleconference.

"I think in general, on that, this is you know, when you ask about the seasons and being here, I think this is with only 2 returning starters, I would say that this is probably the best coaching job our assistants have done, since we’ve been here."

The shout-out came at the perfect time since the Rebels would need continued progress on the defensive front with CFP right around the corner.

It giving them the confidence boost they need to tackle their Week 11 opponent Citadel is an added benefit.