Pete Golding is dominating the off-field war with strategic hires. Now, his focus shifts entirely to winning the on-field battle in the College Football Playoff.
His mantra for it is simple, really, the type of sweet relief that Ole Miss fans need heading into Tulane rematch: " Get out there and get to do ball."
Ole Miss practice updates are heading in the right direction
Golding detailed how consistently getting the players to practice was the easiest part of the post-Kiffin era.
"I think the biggest thing was the pieces are in place for it to be consistent as it was prior to. So the practice piece of it is the easiest part of it. It’s the in-between, obviously, of managing the now and then, the 2026, and what that’s going to look like," Golding said in his press conference on Monday.
"So the practice part is kind of my safe code right now. Get out there and get to do ball and that thing runs itself. We got a lot of really, really good people in the organization that are a part of that. So the practice part has been really, really smooth."
A smooth-going practice sounds like music to the Rebel Nation, given the high-stakes nature of the game. After all, it is only the first time that Ole Miss has made it to the College Football Playoff.
The last thing any fan would want right now is the Ole Miss roster, which has been rather exceptional in the 11-1 regular season, to falter in the game that matters the most.
All the optimistic updates are bit by bit soothing over the twinge of the deep-seated anxiety in Oxford about Golding's play-calling as the head coach might just fall short against the fresh AAC Champions.
We'll only know on Dec. 20, when Tulane takes on the Rebels at the Vaught-Hemingway.