At this point in College Football Playoff, it is pretty clear that Ole Miss couldn't have made a better choice than Pete Golding.
His first two wins in head coaching record being Playoff wins is just the tip of the chaos Golding has handled in the Grove since Kiffin's exit.
Retaining the staff, the players, putting a game plan in place for CFP showdowns that were program history, plus building an entire staff, all while putting all the spotlight back on the Ole Miss players, is simply the crux of what Golding's head coaching run at Ole Miss has looked like so far.
AD Keith Carter praises Pete Golding
That is why AD Keith Carter didn't take another second to praise Golding post-Sugar Bowl win when asked about why Golding was the most obvious choice.
"It was stressful. But I knew Pete was the guy. I knew he was the guy for the short term, to hold this group together. And obviously for the long term, too," Carter said, per the Clarion Ledger.
For what it's worth, Golding has only made that confidence stronger.
"It's awesome to be validated a little bit, from that standpoint. But give the credit to the guys."
Carter further pointed out how their new head coach deserves every bit of praise and spotlight for the wins, as he gives to the Ole Miss players.
"If Pete was the one being interviewed he would say it's not about him," Carter said. "It's about these guys. But I could talk about Pete. Pete's great. He's going to be really, really good ... We feel great about not only the next few weeks, but the future."
Ole Miss heads to Glendale this Friday to take on Miami in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal.