Of all the assurances in the world, Pete Golding gave one that Ole Miss fans desperately needed ahead of the Tulane game.
There is a silent tension of the post-Kiffin era, leaving Ole Miss in a bad shape beneath all the buzz about the Tulane matchup.
Golding asserts he knows how to 'win games'
Golding knew exactly what to say in a situation like this to ease the anxiety.
"I know what it takes to win football games," the Ole Miss head coach said in his press conference on Monday, when asked if he knew what like stepping out there as a head coach for the first time Saturday would feel like.
"To be honest with you, no, and I really don’t plan to. I think, you know, we owe this to the team, to the fans, to the university to have blinders on right now. I know what it takes to be successful on defense. And it’s hard work. And you got to do it better than anybody else. And you got to be willing to do things that they’re not," Golding continued.
The last time Ole Miss was against Tulane, Golding was the DC. It was also the same game in which the Green Wave scored the lowest (10) this season.
But now, Golding is the head coach.
"I’m trying to prepare extremely hard and get a good plan in place for these players and hold them accountable to practice the right way and prepare the right way to give them the best chance. So, that would be at a later time. I’ll let my kids do that."
Only time can tell whether the relentless practice on Golding's part can hold off John Sumrall's squad yet again.