Lane Kiffin is trying to play it as cool as he can as the Ole Miss questions continue following him to LSU.
During his recent media appearance in the Texas Bowl, Kiffin was asked about his thoughts on the Georgia rematch, one of the only games that the Rebs lost this season under Kiffin.
"Powerhouse game. Split the last couple of matchups, and now they're going to play in the Sugar Bowl. I think you have the best offense in the country (Ole Miss), with now maybe what is one of the best defenses in the country lately (Georgia). Not nearly in the year, but Georgia's been playing. So that's the part of it," Kiffin said.
Lane Kiffin asks the bitterest question
Then came the question that would have been Kiffin's biggest headache were he coaching Ole Miss through the College Football Playoff.
"Georgia didn't punt on time in the previous matchup and really drove the length of the field whole day. So, can Ole Miss calm down Georgia's offense and contain the quarterback?"
It is also the question that Golding is trying to find the perfect answer to since taking over. The Bulldogs' offense bullied the Rebels' defense throughout the four quarters, gassing out the edges by the end.
Smart matching Kiffin's aggressive score-all-you-can approach offensively, while making sure the Ole Miss offense had completely hit the wall by the fourth quarter, was the reason why they pulled off that one-score win.
Both Golding and Weis Jr. would have torn down that UGA film by now to know what to avoid in a CFP-level game.
Since Weis Jr. is calling the offense and Golding is on the defense, the team is the same, just sans Kiffin.
How they tackle the third-and-long battle (Georgia converted almost 56% of third downs in October) while bleeding the clock dry would decide how the day turns out.
Golding's defense needs at least two punts by halftime, or they could be looking at an even more embarrassing blowout loss.