Ole Miss Football's Pete Golding Details Key Concerns in Facing Georgia’s Offense

Golding and Co. will battle an elite offense on Thursday in the Sugar Bowl, dissects what makes the Bulldogs so successful.

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding takes questions from the press during the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals Media Day at Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, La., on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. Players and coaches from Ole Miss and Georgia took questions from the press. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels will take the field at the Caesars Superdome on Thursday night for a Sugar Bowl showdown against Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs.

In what will be a rematch between two of the top schools in the Southeastern Conference, Golding and Co. will look to avenge a loss to the Bulldogs in October.

This time around, it'll be Golding calling the shots as the head coach with Lane Kiffin off to Baton Rouge as the decision-maker at LSU - where he dissected the "concerns" from Georgia during Tuesday's media availability.

The Game Information: Sugar Bowl Matchup

Matchup: Ole Miss Rebels vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Kickoff Time: 7 p.m. CT
Venue: Caesars SuperDome
TV Channel: ESPN
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Radio Network
Ole Miss Rebels Record: 12-1 (7-1 SEC)
Georgia Bulldogs Record: 12-1 (7-1 SEC)

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

What Golding Said: Sugar Bowl Edition

The Zachariah Branch Effect:

"Him with the ball in space. No, they do a really good job getting him his targets. He’s an extension of the run game. A lot of the smokes and the bubbles and the screen game and all that. Really elusive in space. Still use him in the priority pass, work the one-on-one concepts.

"Primarily in the slot, like the matchup, they’re trying to get that on a safety or a backer, depending on the coverage you’re in. Move him around a lot to create it, and that’s something we’ve got to be aware of. So you’ve got to have a plan for him."

Multiple Offensive Weapons:

"That’s the balance of their offense on the tight end position, the back. And then you look at the skill, not only him in the slot, but they’re going to have some side speed on the perimeter they’re probably going to give back as well. When you start focusing on one guy, they’re going to do a good job of attacking somewhere else.

"Math is an easy game, so numbers are going to be a big part of this game. We’ve got to do a good job of leveraging the ball, and I think that’s the big thing. The one-on-one on Branch doesn’t always end well. You’ve got to understand if I’m going to miss, where to miss and where my help is coming from."

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

Tackling in Open Space:

"We had double-digit missed tackles, we didn’t leverage the ball very well, we weren’t physical in the perimeter. I think it’s going to be a really important piece to leveraging the ball and having great pursuit inside out to be able to polish the football, because you need to get two-on-one on that guy. But he’s a special player."

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