Ole Miss' final contribution to a shaky first half against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl was a thorough mismanagement of the clock that prevented them from even attempting a field goal to cut into a nine-point deficit. It looked as though all of the sideshows surrounding the Rebels were going to prevent them from playing their best football and their College Football Playoff run would end in the quarterfinals.
Then everything flipped in the second half as Ole Miss ripped off 27 points behind an electric performance from Trinidad Chambliss to continue one of the more compelling narrative arcs the sport has seen. Ole Miss will now get a date with Miami in the CFP semifinals with growing belief that they are a team of destiny.
Pete Golding, coaching under unusual circumstances yet still succeeding, joined Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter after the win. He revealed what he told his team during halftime that led to the triumphant turnaround.
"We told them at halftime it was kind of reversed roles from last time," Golding told Van Pelt. "We were up nine points on these guys going into the fourth quarter last time. So let's take one play at a time, one possession at a time. When we do things right, when we execute correctly we're hard to beat."
Pete Golding lets @notthefakeSVP in on the conversation in the Ole Miss locker room at halftime 🍿 pic.twitter.com/FVbw4M2D6W
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 2, 2026
With Lane Kiffin's high-profile departure and all kinds of moving parts everywhere, Golding has had to find the right words at the right time in so many situations over the past month. It seems like once again he threaded the needle and did just that.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pete Golding Reveals What He Told Ole Miss at Halftime to Spark Rally.
