Pete Golding’s Ole Miss overcame a slow start and a tense finish to secure a 41-38 win over Louisville. The win marked Golding’s first regular-season game as a head coach and eased any concerns over the transition from the Lane Kiffin era.
However, despite the Week 1 win, Ole Miss fans remained skeptical about whether Golding is the right man to lead the program.
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Ole Miss’s defense may already be showing more signs of concern than last season’s unit. The Rebels struggled to slow down the Cardinals throughout the game, surrendering 469 total yards, including 162 rushing yards.
The defensive struggles came as a surprise to many, especially with Golding taking over as head coach after serving as Ole Miss’s defensive coordinator. Golding’s coaching background includes a stint at Alabama, where Nick Saban hired him as co-defensive coordinator in 2018 before elevating him to sole defensive coordinator in 2019.
Golding remained in that role until his move to Ole Miss, but his defense’s performance against Louisville quickly sparked criticism from Rebels fans.
“Pete Golding spent all offseason trading disses with Lane Kiffin while his defense is Swiss cheese,” a fan remarked.
“Pete Golding the fakest defensive HC ever,” another fan wrote in a tweet.
“This is the Pete Golding defense they spent all offseason hyping up?????” the “Mik’d Up” podcast page wrote.
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While much of the offseason discussion centered on how Trinidad Chambliss would perform without Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr., the quarterback delivered when Ole Miss needed him the most. He led the Rebels on a go-ahead scoring drive in the final 90 seconds after Louisville erased a 14-point deficit, finishing with 336 passing yards, 60 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns.
However, Golding now faces pressure to improve the defense, especially with a game against Kiffin’s LSU looming on Sept. 19.
Some fans have already framed Golding’s promotion as a significant coaching downgrade from Kiffin, who enjoyed several successful seasons at Ole Miss before leaving for LSU.
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“Is there a bigger coaching downgrade than Lane Kiffin to Pete Golding?” a fan said.
Is there a bigger coaching downgrade than Lane Kiffin to Pete Golding
— Trent (@EveryFavBlog) September 7, 2026
“Pete Golding will be an assistant coach at LSU in a few years when Ole Miss fires him. Lane Kiffin would be winning 30-7 right now, not 17-13,” Bobby Sibley remarked.
Despite the criticism, Ole Miss extended its strong history in season openers, improving to 98-29-5. Under Golding, the Rebels are now 2-1 against non-conference opponents.
Not everyone was ready to criticize the new head coach, as some fans and analysts praised Golding for helping Ole Miss navigate the transition away from Kiffin.
“It’s officially the Pete Golding era at Ole Miss now. Who needs Lane Kiffin? Gone and forgotten,” one fan said.
It’s officially the Pete Golding era at Ole Miss now. Who needs Lane Kiffin? Gone and forgotten. #HottyToddy
— Alison🇺🇲✝️☮️ (@jutisonministry) September 7, 2026
“Ole Miss being this good… after losing Lane Kiffin… and a ton of talent…That’s a major credit to Trinidad Chambliss… and a major credit to Pete Golding,” ESPN’s Sam Block remarked.
Ole Miss will now turn its attention to Charlotte on Saturday, with the Rebels looking to open the season 2-0.
