How Pete Golding kept Ole Miss rolling after Lane Kiffin’s exit

Lane Kiffin's messy exit from Oxford could have derailed Ole Miss' season. Instead, Pete Golding is making sure it won't, turning uncertainty into momentum and proving he is more than a short-term fix.

Under Golding, who was promoted from defensive coordinator after Kiffin's departure, Ole Miss (13-1) has won two College Football Playoff games and will play in the CFP semifinal against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8.

Here are five ways that Golding has kept things steady in Oxford. 

1. Pete Golding's defense still comes up big

Golding is a defensive wizard by trade. Before his promotion on Nov. 30, he had served as Ole Miss' defensive coordinator since 2023. (He held the same position at Alabama under Nick Saban from 2018-22.

Golding is now responsible for leading the entire team, but his defensive wizardry hasn't vanished. Ole Miss stomped Tulane 41-10 in the first round and against Georgia, it limited the Bulldogs to 343 yards in a 39-34 Sugar Bowl win (one of Georgia's touchdowns came on a fumble return). 

Ole Miss is led by a star-studded offense powered by QB Trinidad Chambliss, but Golding is no slouch. 

2. Pete Golding's QB not wavering

Speaking of Chambliss, he hasn't missed a beat since Kiffin, a renowned offensive mind, left for LSU. The former Ferris State QB has arguably been Ole Miss' MVP in the CFP, throwing for 282 yards and a touchdown against Tulane and for 362 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia. 

"He makes big plays in big moments, and he's done it all year," Golding said of Chambliss. "That's why he came here. He had a huge opportunity tonight. He showed a lot of people who he is." 

3. The eye test remains the same

It would've been understandable if an Ole Miss team reeling from the sudden departure of its head coach had laid an egg in the CFP. But in their first real test of the postseason in Thursday's Sugar Bowl, the Rebels answered the call. 

Ole Miss trailed by nine at halftime, the same margin it led Georgia by in the teams' regular-season matchup that Ole Miss lost 43-35. But the Rebels flipped the script on the Dawgs and earned arguably the biggest win in program history behind Golding. 

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Golding's short tenure as the head man in Oxford is that his team looks every bit as elite under his leadership as it did under Kiffin during an 11-1 regular season. 

4. Pete Golding keeps spotlight off himself

There's no doubt that Kiffin is an excellent coach. But during the best regular season in Ole Miss history, the noise surrounding his potential departure was deafening, often drowning out the success of the Rebels on the field. 

You won't find a more different side of the coin than Golding, who turned a question regarding his coaching journey toward his players during his post-game news conference on Thursday after the win over Georgia. 

"I think it feels very good for our players," Golding said. "It doesn't register from a coaching standpoint until after the season is done and the work is done."

5. Pete Golding gives fans a reason to be excited about the future

In the wild world of the Southeastern Conference, college football is more than just a sporting event. Coaching changes are seismic shifts, and for a fan base in Oxford that was growing used to the success churned out by Kiffin, Golding's sudden ascent to the head-coaching role likely had some wondering whether he could keep the train rolling. 

Golding has done exactly that, winning two playoff games and never looking overwhelmed in two of the biggest moments in Ole Miss history. That should give the Ole Miss faithful plenty of reasons to not only be excited about the Rebels' potential for a championship run this season, but for many seasons to come as long as Golding stays put in Oxford.