Pete Golding shares his locker room message as Ole Miss football season ends

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GLENDALE, AZ — One of Ole Miss football coach Pete Golding‘s favorite sayings will be tested in the coming weeks.

Since he took over for Lane Kiffin on Nov. 30, Golding has continually stressed what makes earning a spot in the CFP different from a standard bowl game. Half of all teams that make a regular bowl game will finish their season on a high note with a win.

In the CFP, Golding has reiterated in press conferences that only one team leaves happy.

The Rebels were not that team. The No. 6 Rebels lost 31-27 to No. 10 Miami (13-2) in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8. It propelled Miami (13-2) to the national championship game and ended one of the best seasons in Ole Miss (13-2) history.

In the short term, Golding is absolutely right. Just look at how quarterback Trinidad Chambliss exited the field after the game. He was visibly emotional when he hugged tight end Dae’Quan Wright, and he walked off the field arm-in-arm with running back Kewan Lacy with a towel draped over his head.

As attention swings toward 2026, the Rebels have a ton to be happy about after making their first CFP in program history. Golding contrasted the immediacy of the pain with the satisfaction of the overall accomplishment.

“Super proud of this group,” Golding said. “This is a group that created this legacy for this team and an expectation for this program that – what I told them in the locker room that we’re pissed off in a semifinal game because we feel like we should have won the game because we didn’t play our best and we didn’t coach our best. Really proud of their effort and proud of the year they had.”

Chambliss is particular has had a life-changing season. He entered 2025 as a little-know backup who transferred in from Division II Ferris State.

He left the field at the Fiesta Bowl as a college star who will be heavily compensated for his services in 2026, whether that be at Ole Miss or in the NFL.

“God has been so good to me and this team,” Chambliss said. “It’s been a great ride. I wouldn’t want to do it with any other people, whether it’s coaches, players, people in the offices. It’s just been a great ride. And, hopefully, I get to do it next year.”

Part of the reason happiness should eventually supersede pain as the primary emotion attached to the 2025 season is because the season could look similar in 2026 in some ways.

Chambliss had already committed to returning to Ole Miss if his pending waiver is approved. Star running back Kewan Lacy, who rushed for a school-record 24 rushing TDs and tied a school season record with 1,567 rushing yards, is also a confirmed returner.

The 2025 CFP run also validated Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter’s hiring decision after coach Lane Kiffin departed for LSU Nov. 30. Golding was promoted from defensive coordinator with no head coaching experience. He stitched the season back together

Golding knows it’s a season that will be remembered in Oxford. Within the locker room, at least, it will be a happy memory. He said he’ll most remember smiles, memories and laughs.

“They’re going to be talking about this for a long time, right?” Golding said. “Some of it is going to be ‘What could have happened?’ and all those things, but they’ve made memories in this year in that locker room that will last a lifetime.”

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: What Pete Golding told Ole Miss football team as season ends vs Miami

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