Pete Golding compares preparation for LSU to ‘high school homecoming’
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Pete Golding harkened back to high school when talking about what the preparation will be like this week as his 8th-ranked Ole Miss team gets ready to battle against 7th-ranked LSU on Saturday night in Oxford.
Of course, the primetime matchup that will start at about 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC features the return of former Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin to town, which will prompt security issues and just a general slew of distractions for both teams.
Throw in ESPN’s College GameDay being in Oxford this weekend for one of the most-anticipated games of the season and there’s a lot going on, which was Golding’s point during his session with reporters on Monday.
The current Ole Miss head coach doesn’t want his players to get caught up in the chaos of the former Ole Miss head coach coming back to town. He believes that’s a first-class ticket to the game going wrong for his team.
“We’re going to have to prepare the right way this week, and get locked in and get focused,” Pete Golding said. “(A) lot going on, you got (College) GameDay, you got so much other stuff. To me, it’s like high school homecoming for these dudes, like if you focus on the wrong s—, right, that homecoming dance ain’t very fun after you get your butt beat on a Friday night. We got to make sure we’re doing everything right throughout the week to get the outcome that we want.”
No matter how Golding frames the preparation for Saturday night’s showdown, the stakes will be super high in Oxford for both teams. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about which team, LSU or Ole Miss, has the edge:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
