Endings hold immense power. If you misstep at this crucial juncture, you risk carrying the weight of unresolved issues that drain your energy and focus. Conversely, a well-crafted ending offers a sense of closure and clarity, equipping you to embrace new beginnings with renewed enthusiasm and determination.
As T.S. Eliot famously noted, “the end is where we start from.” While this season’s conclusion was not the script we had envisioned for a historic run, there remains much to celebrate for the Ole Miss Rebels, who finished with an impressive 13-2 record and stood as the only SEC team still competing in this postseason’s College Football Playoff. Even in the face of defeat, there is pride to be found in this team.
Following their loss to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, Pete Golding reflected on the journey of the Rebels: “We knew it was going to be hard. I mean, guys, it’s the Semifinals. It’s supposed to be hard. In these games, you got to be at your best. You got to play at your best. You got to coach at your best. If you don’t, you don’t deserve to win. It’s the Semifinals to go to the national championship game. I thought we had our opportunity by not playing our best game.”
Golding continued, emphasizing resilience: “That’s what we said at halftime. We haven’t played our best up till this point. We’ve been here before. Let’s go out here and let’s spot the ball and let’s find a way to make it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter and find a way to win the game. Our kids came back and did that and went up. Hats off to them. We just have to find a way to close it. Got to do a better job coaching.”
The Turning Points
The Rebels faced one of their most formidable challenges, and Golding reflected on the pivotal moments that shaped the game. “Yeah, we knew coming in it was going to be challenging up front. Some of those, you’ve got to decide how you’re going to attack them. And are you going to go all out and create some isolations outside that can create some explosives?”
“I think, looking back at it, that’s not what lost us the game. I think the two explosive plays lost us the game. So we can talk about the push and all that. Does it affect the game? Yeah. But the two explosive plays, the scramble for the touchdown and then a screen that’s thrown behind the line for a 40-yard touchdown. So we knew they were a good football team. They’re very big up front. They’re well-coached up front. They’ve got a big back, and we knew we were going to have a little bit of trouble with that. We were going to have to take our chances at times to try to create some negative yardage plays to get off the field. Versus teams like that, that are going to commit to that, you have to take the football away some. We had a big pick down there. They missed a field goal, certain things like that. That’s part of those games.”
Even in defeat, Golding sees this as an opportunity for growth that will fortify the Rebels moving forward. “We’re going to watch the tape and we’re going to have to go back. And we got to get better at striking blocks and getting off blocks and fitting runs and leveraging the ball. There’s a lot of things within the game that we’ve got to improve in the offseason, for sure.”
The Ole Miss story this season will be forever etched in legend, particularly through the journey of Trinidad Chambliss. Golding reflects on the remarkable athlete that Chambliss is, stating, “I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for him since he got here, because he’s a DII boy. I said from the very beginning, for a guy like that to come with one year into the SEC with an offense that was already in place, with a guy that had already signed to be the franchise guy, it just showed his confidence in himself. I said a lot of this to a lot of different people. When he first got here, you didn’t even hear him. You just saw him. You saw him with his head down, working his ass off. Then you start seeing people start gravitating to him, and they wanted to be around him because he works his butt off and he’s a good teammate.“
Golding reflects on Chambliss impact early on, “Then at fall camp, the one defense goes against the two offense. When he was running with the twos, we couldn’t stop his ass. I knew if something was going to happen to Austin, that we were in pretty good hands. No, it’s just awesome to see good things happen to good people. For him to take a chance to come here, with a guy in place and for it to work out the way it did for him, I couldn’t be happier. He’s kind of set a precedent here within one year. It’s going to be pretty hard to match.”
The Reflection
This Ole Miss team will undoubtedly reflect on plenty of defining moments, but Golding reflects on what he’ll cherish most about this historic chapter in their journey. “To be honest with you, I think I’ll just remember how they embraced each other. There was a lot over the last month or so, however long it’s been now, to where somebody could have not been a good dude. Somebody could have not worked hard. Somebody could have not showed up on time. And I can’t recall one issue. That’s just based on who these guys are. They took the team when all this occurred. Guys like these two guys showed up every day and went to work and made sure the people around them went to work.”
“But to me, it’s the smiles, man. It’s the memories, it’s the laughs, it’s the time with those guys and seeing the camaraderie that they grew together. They’re going to be talking about this for a long time, right? Some of it is going to be “what could have happened” and all those things, but they’ve made memories in this year in that locker room that will last a lifetime. “
But again, they may not have gotten what they wanted but even in defeat, as they look into the future for many of these players got a moment they need to carry with them as they begin the next stage in their journey. “For a lot of this group coming back, there’s going to be a little chip on their shoulder. But also the guys that are leaving, this is a legacy of a team that’s going to be celebrated for a while. It’s going to have to come back at some point and have reunions and stuff like that, as far as getting together. We appreciate the senior class and what they’ve done for the legacy of this team and for making an expectation. I think the underclassmen are going to want to go to work pretty quick, because they’re going to be pretty hungry.”
The Last Act
In the world of football, a single play or call can alter the course of a game. Yet, one thing is certain: this Rebels team fought valiantly until the final whistle. As Coach Golding reflects on those crucial last moments and the Rebels’ final opportunity, he acknowledges the challenges of such situations. “Yeah, there was contact, but it happens a lot. That’s not why we lost the game. But we just had a lot of opportunities late, but I think it shows you the resiliency of the team. They didn’t care. Was it 18-15? They’re going to go out there and give it all they got.”
While it may seem like time simply ran out on them, Golding emphasizes that their execution fell short. “ It looks like you ran out of time, but we didn’t execute well enough, didn’t prepare well enough, and didn’t coach well enough.”
In the end, despite their efforts and determination, there were lessons learned for both players and coaches alike as they look ahead to future challenges. The Rebels’ journey may have ended Thursday evening in the desert, but their spirit and determination pave the way for future success.