Pete Golding not concerned with hangover-game potential at Florida

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OXFORD – Though it will be Ole Miss’ third time seeing a Jon Sumrall-coached team in two seasons, Rebels head coach Pete Golding knows comparing 2025 Tulane to 2026 Florida is not a worthwhile exercise.

Ole Miss (3-0) defeated the Green Wave – then coached by Sumrall – twice last season, once in the regular season and again in the first round of the College Football Playoff and both by more than 30 points. Sumrall is now the head coach of the No. 21 Gators (3-0), who host the No. 4 Rebels this weekend in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ABC.

“(Sumrall) does an unbelievable job. Does a really good job relating to his players and motivating his players, but I can’t compare this to Tulane. No disrespect to Tulane, this is a different roster with the same mentality … which is scary,” said Golding, who was named the Bear Bryant National Coach of the Week after the Rebels’ emotional victory over then-No. 7 LSU.

All eyes in and around the Manning Center this week will be monitoring the status of Rebels star junior running back Kewan Lacy, who left the win over the Tigers with a shoulder injury. Golding told reporters after the game that X-rays were negative and provided another positive update Monday, saying an MRI showed “it wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought it was.” Lacy, who ran for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns last season, will be a game-time decision this weekend, according to Golding.

While Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium might look like the perfect recipe for the cliché trap game – the Rebels are coming off a hard-fought 32-24 win over former head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU and are nearing their bye week – Golding doesn’t feel there will be any sort of hangover. For starters, Florida is ranked and actually favored by 3 1/2 points. Second, the Rebels walked into Gainesville in 2024 with a College Football Playoff berth on the line and left with a loss that ended their dreams of a national-title run.

“We’re the underdog anyway going into the game, so I don’t know how you can take them lightly anyway. But just the mindset – I think we had some guys on that team before that hadn’t played there. I think it’s a unique atmosphere there,” Golding said. “ … They have really good players. They’re rolling right now, they’re playing confident. So, if there’s anybody in this building that’s overlooking this game, there’s something wrong with them.”

Florida is coming off a 44-39 win at Auburn. Sumrall, who was an assistant at Ole Miss in 2018, hired Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to run the Gators’ offense. The results have been stellar so far, as Florida is second nationally at 54 points per game. Faulkner brought quarterback Aaron Philo with him from Georgia Tech, and the junior is completing better than 73% of his passes for 721 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Star junior running back Jadan Baugh is second nationally with 458 rushing yards and is tied for the national lead with eight rushing touchdowns.

“I think No. 1, I think the quarterback, how comfortable he’s playing and really managing the offense and making really good decisions. He reminds me of a coach’s kid on tape, man. He’s tough as nails, he’s really smart,” Golding said. “ … The running back, who we’ve played against, is an elite player, I think one of the best backs in the country. (Faulkner’s) versatility with personnel on offense, he’s always done an unbelievable job of (changing) formation (on) you and shifting and motioning and create matchups to be able to run the football. Very innovative.”

Chambliss earns SEC, national honors

Ole Miss sixth-year quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week and Associated Press National Player of the Week following the Rebels’ win over LSU. Chambliss threw for 363 yards and had three total touchdowns, including the go-ahead 14-yard rushing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. In his last five games against ranked opponents, Chambliss has thrown for 1,620 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions and has added four rushing scores.

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