Ole Miss rolls into the college football playoff quarterfinals after a dominant 41-10 win against Tulane. With that win, sixth-seeded Ole Miss is ready to face No. 9 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Yet when the topic of a rematch surfaced, new head coach Pete Golding had a blunt response on what excites him about facing Georgia.

“Really nothing right now,” Golding said to the sideline reporter after Tulane’s game. “The Caribbean have done an unbelievable job. Obviously, we haven’t played them in third place, although they did play very well. We’re going to play really well. We’re going to do a great job.”

Well, after passing the first test of the season after Lane Kiffin’s exit, Golding isn’t letting noise pressure his locker room. Ole Miss already sustained a 43-35 loss against Georgia. And the Bulldogs already hold a 35-13-1 all-time win record against Ole Miss. On top of it being only the fifth Sugar Bowl ever featuring two 12-win teams, the stakes are higher than ever.

For now, the team is focusing on the success after making their 11th Sugar Bowl appearance and first since 2021. After building on their first-ever 11-win regular season. It’s evident by Golding’s remarks that he is trying to instill a “play present” mindset into his players instead of focusing on the outcomes of future games or opponents.

On top of it, Pete Golding made his intentions clear on focusing on team development rather than unnecessary attention on other stuff. That’s why he even cancelled his introductory press conference.

“After reconsidering tomorrow’s activities, I have decided to shift the focus back to where it belongs—the team,” Golding said. “Our players have not received the notoriety they deserve for their remarkable accomplishments this season. They have given their all to Ole Miss, and I want to see the spotlight placed on them and the mission in front of us.”

But even if Golding is not paying much attention to Georgia’s hype, their success can put a lot of pressure on them. Georgia’s defense looks ready to limit Ole Miss’s ground game. In the last month of the season, opponents have just averaged 32 rushing yards per game against the Bulldogs with a 1.75 yards per carry average. Whereas the Rebels’ rushing attack that just managed 88 yards on 24 carries in the regular season will face a tough challenge against Kirby Smart’s team.

On top of it, Pete Golding’s team has struggled big time in stopping the run this season. They even allowed 80 yards to Tulane’s Jamuri McClure, 262 yards to Mississippi State, and 100 yards with two touchdowns to Oklahoma’s Xavier Robinson. And Georgia’s running back, Nate Frazier, is averaging 6.8 yards per carry over his last five games, which puts them under more pressure.

Even Gunner Stockton is a major threat for Ole Miss right now. As in their last meet, Stockton totaled five touchdowns and 348 yards with an 83.9% completion rate. Now, even though they lost against Georgia this season, Lane Kiffin made a remarkable show by winning against them last year. So, after his exit with all these inconsistencies and ignorance, will Golding be able to do the same?

The pressure is intense, but for now, the team is just focused on playing and winning.

Trinidad Chambliss makes his stance clear on teams focus

Ole Miss entered the playoff quarterfinals with flying colors, but it wasn’t all easy for them. After the former head coach’s sudden move to the LSU Tigers after the Egg Bowl, the Rebels were without a leader, and all doubts and pressure squarely fell on the players and new head coach Pete Golding. But after the win, the Ole Miss fans filled the Vaughn-Hemingway Stadium with his chants.

Their win sends a clear message: Ole Miss isn’t flinching amid the noise. Even Ole Miss quarterback backs Golding’s stance after the game, ignoring outside noise and the entire drama of Lane Kiffin’s move that created a lot of distraction.

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“I think we just wanted to play football,” Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss said after the game. “We haven’t played in about three weeks, and we were hungry to play. We were watching the SEC Championship game, and we felt like we should have been in that, but it is what it is. But you know, our guys, we just want to win, and we want to play football.”

No wonder that was the case. As every player was in their best form. Chambliss completed 23-for-29 for 282 yards and one touchdown, and also rushed for 36 yards and two touchdowns. Their defense just allowed a field goal and a garbage-time touchdown, and their linebacker, Princewill Umanmielen, led the defense with 1.5 sacks and constant pressure against Tulane. Ole Miss forced turnovers and stopped the Green Wave on every fourth-down try.

After the game, Chambliss also praised Pete Golding for guiding them this well in their first game without Kiffin.

“We love PG,” Chambliss said. “You know, he’s a motivator. He knows how to get to us, and he loves to win. So we like playing for a guy like that. He’s a great guy.”

Now, let’s wait and see how things turn out against Georgia in the quarterfinals game.