WATCH: Kirby Smart and Pete Golding Sugar Bowl pressers

Kirby Smart

COACH SMART: Yeah, open up with our practices we’ve had leading up to finding out who our opponent is. We did a good job of prepping before. Our coaches did a tremendous job of looking through college football, finding different ideas, people that are doing things well in different areas. Studied some different teams and got to look at teams that are doing well in their specific area. I thought that time was good for us.

I thought it was really good for our young players. We got a lot of reps and a lot of work on young players developing. Some guys are going to have to step up and be able to play for us. We’ve got a lot of recovery and getting healthy and trying to get guys back.

I know you guys will have a lot of questions for injuries and things. I won’t be able to answer all of them, because I still don’t know. We’re still 10, 19 days away trying to get guys back. Had a good, spirited practice this morning. Guys were excited to know who we’re playing. I think that’s always important once you get the opponent defined to start that prep and getting ready.

Q. Sorry to hit you with a housekeeping question. How will Dontrell [Glover] and Bo [Walker] handle any in-house discipline they received following their arrest, and do you anticipate them playing in the Sugar Bowl?​

COACH SMART: Both those guys, disappointed in their decision-making. We always say decision-making is a skill. Make poor decisions, they pay the consequence for that. They’re continuing to pay the consequences for that, and they’ll finish up their consequences for that. I hope both of them make better decisions in the future.

Q. How is Gabe Harris doing and what makes him such a valuable part of what you’re doing?​

COACH SMART: Gabe is a wrecker, man. He wrecks things. He’s tough, physical, relentless. He’s been a force with our defense. He’s one of those guys that doesn’t question things. He just gets out there and works, competes, and gets better. And really proud of the improvement he’s made for our defense.

Q. Is Gabe [Harris] dealing with a turf toe and is he going to be able to play in the bowl game?​

COACH SMART: He’s got a little bit of a turf toe. We’re hoping to have him available.

Q. Let me ask about the offense role in this with Lane [Kiffin] not there. What sort of changes did you see when you watched the game this Saturday?​

COACH SMART: I don’t understand the question. The offensive coordinator and the staff is still all there. You’re not going to make overhaul or large changes. They’ve got something that really works well. They got really high-powered, explosive, really good tight end. One of the best backs in the country. Arguably the quarterback that may be playing the best in the country in terms of his ability to make throws in all areas. The guy is elite. He was elite last time he played him. He’s just as elite or more now because he’s got more experience and more confidence.

They’re playing at a really high level offensively. Lane had something to do that because he helped build it and get them there. But Charlie [Weis] has done a tremendous job calling the plays and doing those things.

Q. During the Oregon broadcast, they mentioned Coach Lane [Kiffin] had gone as far as to play a simulated game inside their stadium to stay fresh. Have you thought about anything like that? And what lengths have you gone to to make sure you’re fresh when this game comes around?​

COACH SMART: We’ve done the same thing, simulated games and situational football. Whether that’s two minutes into half, four-minute offense, red area, all the different situations you have. And trying to make them more game-like with the anxiety, the crowd noise, the atmosphere, the matchups. And try to go good on good to keep crisp.
But at the end of the day, all those simulations are not real games. And anybody that tells you they’ve got it figured out probably haven’t coached long enough to know that it’s a lot more about how you play than how you practice leading up to it. You just do the best job you can to try to prepare.

Q. You mentioned after the SEC championship game the grind of a 13-game schedule. How important has this time been? I realize you’ve still been practicing, but in getting some recovery for your players leading up to this game.​

COACH SMART: Yeah, I think it’s been good. You have to make it a positive by how you handle it. The positive is the mental practice you get, the recovery you get, the extra lifts you get. The negative is when you’re playing good football, a lot of times you want to keep playing. You want to stay in rhythm. You want to stay in a weekly schedule.

And that schedule gets thrown off by the break, because we have players taking final exams. We gave the players more time off in terms of before they came back and really started grinding. So you do the best you can with the calendar you have. You try to talk to other people and find out what the best way to do things is.

But I’m excited about where our team is. I’m excited that they’re practicing the way they are and are excited about the opponent. They have so much respect for the team we have to play.

Q. I remember you saying you were optimistic that Colbie Young and Drew Bobo will be back in time. Realistically, do you think they’ll be back healthy in time for the Sugar Bowl?​

COACH SMART: We’re hopeful to get those guys back and get them back recovery and get them going. They are good football players and they’re going to help us. We’ll hopefully get a lot of those guys back. We’ve had guys dinged up from the practices we’ve had, too.

Q. You’ve had a good amount of success playing a team for a second time in a season. Can you give us some insight into that process? How do you balance showing new wrinkles, versus sticking with what’s worked for you, for instance?​

COACH SMART: Yeah, I think as we talked about with Alabama, it’s really overrated in terms of re-matches and things like that. I think how you play defines what the outcome of the game is; your ability to be explosive, turn the ball over, win situational football. There’s all kinds of things in that thing to figure out, and it really has very little to do with the time before you played them.

Everybody is going to watch the time before you played them because you’ve got to look at the matchups. But I don’t think either team is exactly the same. Both teams have evolved some. And everybody will have new wrinkles. That’s what you do during this time.

Q. Seems like something clicked defensively in that fourth quarter against Ole Miss the first time you played. How much did that moment lead into the performance we’ve seen late in the season?​

COACH SMART: I don’t even remember the sequence of games after that. I do think those stops were huge for us from a confidence standpoint, but there’s a lot of games there weren’t stops. They do a really good job. They’re hard to stop. They’re explosive for a reason. They have good players. They have good tempo. They have good schemes. The quarterback makes things go, so does the back.
I don’t know if that was the moment that kickstarted us to improvement on defense, because I don’t remember the exact games after that. But we have played better down the stretch defensively.

Q. From a roster management standpoint, have you had a chance to meet with most of the guys in terms of knowing the future? I know you’re going to be focused on this game, but typically this is a time you meet with guys.​

COACH SMART: We’re focused on this team. I think it would be remiss to say that we’re focused on roster management. We’re not focused on it. We’re focused on prep and getting better.

For a while, it’s been intrinsically looking at ourselves and asking each player: Did you come here to develop? Did you truly come here to develop? If you did, all your buddies are out there right now. They’re announcing what they’re doing. Announcing I’m going into the portal. I’m announcing that I’m re-signing.

How about you announce you’re getting better and you’re going to practice and do what the 20 and 30 years of college football players did before you, which was practice in December when they’re on good teams and get better.

If you’re going to play somewhere else, you know what you need to do? You need to get better. If you’re going to play here, you know what you need to do? You need to get better. If you’re going to the National Football League to play, this is your last chance to get better. Because they’re not going to give you much opportunity. They’re going to cut you or keep you based on how you do.

Development occurs in December for us, and that’s what we’ve been focused on. As far as changes going to New Orleans, there hasn’t been a tremendous amount of change. We don’t think we did anything wrong in the prep last year. We didn’t necessarily play a really good game, but we also played a really good football team. Extremely talented defense.

We’ve got to play better and we’ve got a block of middle eight where we played really poorly. But I don’t think there was anything wrong with our prep. I think it has to do with when you play a quality team — it’s like, in the SEC, every game we play in the SEC is tight. When you play in a playoff, you’re going to play a good team.
We trust the prep we have. We trust the rest and recovery we’ve had. And we’re going to trust the plan we have to go out there and play at a high level.

Q. Were you aware that Will [Muschamp] was interested in coming back to full-time coaching? And what was your reaction for him taking the opportunity at Texas?​

COACH SMART: I’m so happy for him. He loves coaching. He loved coaching when he was here. It was hard for him to step away. He felt like he needed to. I have so much respect for him. He helped us replace him with the guys we got. He helped us tremendously in that role. He helped us tremendously this year throughout the year.

And he’s been really good to me personally, and he’s been great to Georgia, and he’s been really good to a lot of players that he’s recruited. When he had an opportunity to jump back in, I know he loves it. I think he missed it dearly. He talked to his family about it, his wife and his boys, and they all supported him.
He’s going to a great place to work for a great man. There’s not many better opportunities out there to go coach and play than a place like Texas, where you got a lot of infrastructure in place to help you. Wish him nothing but the boast.

Q. Speaking of coaches, [Mike] Bobo is a finalist for the Broyles. What do you think is the main thing he’s done this year with the offense? Just basically what he has done to deserve this honor?​

COACH SMART: Well, you take the number of guys we lost. I think we had four O-linemen make NFL rosters. He had to replace four O-linemen. Basically a new quarterback situation outside of the end of last year. Really, an entire new backfield, because [Trevor] Etienne was our leading guy last year. Replacing a lot of really good wideouts.
I think he’s done a great job. I think he would give a lot of credit to his staff. And what he’s done with our offense, where we’re not a stat-padded, hurry up, take a lot of snaps, get a lot of plays. He doesn’t chase numbers. Look at what they’ve done in the red area. It’s been incredible. The ability to run the ball has been really well.

I think he’s a credit for that, because he puts the game plan together. Ultimately he has to decide what’s in and what’s called. He’s done with a really tough schedule and two freshmen O-linemen and a lot of O-linemen out, that have been injured in and out. Really pleased and proud of what he’s done.

Q. Yeah, we didn’t see Joenel [Aguero] in the SEC championship game. How is he doing healthwise? What’s his status? And what have the past couple weeks meant for Rasean Dinkins to have these practices after getting the playing time he did in the SEC championship?​

COACH SMART: He’s trying to get healthy and get better and make himself able. Dink’s (Rasean Dinkins) got a lot of reps. Jaden’s [Harris] gotten a lot of reps in his absence. We’ve rolled some guys through there, but it’s always good to get more reps. Dink has repped all year. All of our kids practice every day.

Sometimes we think they have to go out there and play without having practiced. They get lots of reps. He’s growing up and getting better.

Q. What do you think the experience of having gone through last year’s playoff game, and obviously it not being the outcome that you wanted. Did it leave sort of an unfinished business taste in the mouths of your team? Do you feel like you’re better this year because of having gone through that?

COACH SMART: Yeah, I can’t say we’re better for having gone through it. Would we be better if we won that game? Would we be as motivated if we won that game? I don’t know that. I think the two teams are very different. I think we’re a different leadership group, a different team. It’s been a different kind of team all year, and not in a good or bad way reflected on last year.

We’ve been there before, but a lot of these kids weren’t there. Some of them were. I think the two years are independent of each other, just like this game will be independent of the game against Ole Miss previously.

Pete Golding

COACH GOLDING: I was just recapping yesterday for us, an exciting time for Ole Miss and for our community, but more importantly, for our players. Thought we did what we needed to do to win the game. The message to the players was: You’re playing for an opportunity to play again.

​I thought for the most part, especially offensively, we executed really well. Some things, obviously, we need to clean up from a defensive standpoint, with some explosive tackle around the perimeter. Thought the energy was good. Thought the attitude was good. They played well enough to win the game.

Q. Obviously this time around, you will be facing Georgia in a different role. What did you see from them last time? And what do you feel like will be different, just on your end getting ready to face them in the playoffs?​

​COACH GOLDING: Well, hopefully we can get them to at least punt one time. That would be a good start. No, I mean, extremely talented football team. Very well coached. Premier college football team, in my opinion, and have been for some time.

​They do a really good job on offense. Using multiple formations. Creating extra gaps. Do a good job really of running the football. The run sets up their play action. The quarterback has got experience and is playing at a really high level. Very accurate, makes really good decisions.
To have a chance, you’ve got to be able to stop the run, which is easier said than done. We need to be really smart on the back end and play to our help and leverage and change that picture for them. You’ve got to create some turnovers and some takeaways within the game to get the offense back on.

​Offensively, I think we had some success early. Obviously, we’re really talented on the perimeter, I think. I think our quarterback is playing at a high level. But you’re going to have to be able to run the football effectively versus them, especially when you have to. I think that’s the biggest thing.

​They’ve been in a lot of big games. Kirby [Smart] does an unbelievable job. They don’t panic. You’re going to have to close out the game in the fourth quarter — just like we didn’t do last time. Got to play really sound, regardless of who you play at this point. You got to execute. Got to take care of the football on offense. Got to take it away on defense.

Q. We saw that Archie Manning spoke to the team on Friday and Eli [Manning] embraced you when you walked on to the field on Saturday. What’s it been like having the Manning family around the Ole Miss program the past few days?​

​COACH GOLDING: It’s been awesome. They’re a big part of Ole Miss history and the legacy they’ve created for themselves while they were here. There was a previous relationship prior to this from the recruitment of Arch as well. They got to know a lot of those guys. Not really Eli and that, because obviously he was up in New York.

But him coming back, regardless of who was going to be in this seat, Eli was probably going to be at the first playoff game at his alma matter. But having Archie back and talking to the team and the message that he said to them on Friday had a huge impact for our players.

​Our guys driving around campus, they see that 18 sign and for them to be able to stand up in front of them and present the message he did was pretty awesome.

Q. What’s the schedule for you guys this week in terms of staff, where they’re going to be, when do the players come back, that kind of thing?​

​COACH GOLDING: Yeah, obviously we went through the game, cleaned the game up last night. Went through the corrections, all that stuff. Moved on to Georgia this morning and walked through format. We’re going to give them a couple of days off for Christmas, then bring them back Christmas night and go to work as a normal Monday would be on the 26th.

​So no different than when we first prepared, that week before that we got into it for Tulane and that bye week. We have coaches that have other jobs like a lot of teams do right now. They’re working two different jobs. So when it’s not game week, they work in the role in their other job. And when it’s game week, they’re fully vested in where they’re at. So it’s no different than anywhere else.

Q. I was wondering if you had an early update on health with Kewan [Lacy] and maybe [Caleb] Odom and maybe some of the other guys that went out on Saturday?​

COACH GOLDING: We’re still working through that right now. Obviously, several of those guys came back into the game after the injury occurred. Not feeling any issues on those. But we’re still working through some of the other ones.

​

Q. Coach, how different does it feel for you? I mean, the beginning of the year, you’re a coordinator. And now, just your second game in and you’re getting ready to be coaching in the playoffs. Could you really have ever imagined a scenario like this?​

​COACH GOLDING: Absolutely not, no. I don’t look from a game standpoint of the coaching piece, especially still calling the defense. The preparation piece of it and your normal routine, it’s pretty consistent.
The difference obviously, controlling the schedule, especially when you’re going to two different sites, practicing here and going three days prior. Some of the management of those things. And throw Christmas on top of it and the travel component. Some of those things that you were just worried about one side of the ball. Now you’ve got a lot more problems to be able to help.

​But we’ve got a really good crew around us, guys who do a really good job.

​The ball part of it is easy. I don’t think whether it’s the Sugar Bowl, or the first round, or you’re playing Mississippi State: Once you get late in the season, if you lose, you’re probably not going to be playoffs. Right now, if you lose, your season is ended.

That piece of it, we’ve been fortunate to be in a lot of these. We have to play really well and focus on the right things in our preparation and how we practice and those things. If we let Christmas gets in the way and hotel rooms and tickets and all that outside noise, we’re probably not going to win the game anyway.
​We’re going to give them time off, let them get away from it, which I think is really important. I think mental component is just as important as the physical component this time of year. It’s been a long season. I want them to get away for a couple of days and come back ready to go.

Q. Coach, I know going through the season, you kind of switched directions and focused on going to the next opponent. But off the top of your head, what are some of the foundational pieces that you remember from the Georgia game that you’re kind of already ready to implement to prepare for the Sugar Bowl this time around?​

COACH GOLDING: You got to get them behind the sticks on early downs from a defensive standpoint. You can’t just bleed the entire time, three, four, five, six and you never get them off course. They have their whole playbook, regardless of down or distance. You’ve got to create some third and longs.

​And when you create third and long, you’ve got to get off the field. There was a critical one — two of them really in the first game, the third and 8 and then the low red zone that we had a coverage bus and they scored instead of holding them to a field goal.

​The very next drive, we get them third and 7 backed up and bringing the corner pressure. The corner doesn’t come and they run zone right into it and get a first down. When you do get them behind and you get to third and down, you’ve got to get off the field.

​There’s going to be some 50/50 balls that you’re going to have to contest. That’s the biggest thing versus these guys. You’ve got to contest every play. We can’t give them free things. Whether it’s a lack of communication, whether it’s a mixed tackle. The first time we played them, we had double-digit missed tackles on defense.

​When you’re playing an elite team with elite players that are really well coached, you can’t give them things. They’re going to get enough on their own. Some spots, they might like the match-up better than we do. You’ve got to be on the same page. Communication has to be very good.
They do a good job formation and motions and shifts with alternative formations to really make you communicate, to try to have the chalk last.
But I think more importantly is not giving up explosive plays. Contesting them. They’re going to have some, but they’ve got to be contested plays. And then tackling really well on the perimeter is going to be extremely important.

​And then on offense, control and drives. Still being explosive through the pass game like we were in the first game. But we’ve got to convert that first down. We’ve got to be able to execute and take care of the football.

Q. Coach, Patrick Carter posted earlier today that this was his first playoff victory as interim wide receiver coach. Because of the dual jobs that you mentioned earlier, have you had to adjust some roles or duties to analysts because some guys are bouncing back and forth between a different place?

COACH GOLDING: I think the first Sunday when all this went down, the next guy that was in the room, I said: Hey, when those guys aren’t here, you take this like this is your room. Those players are going to be looking for you. They’re going to need direction, right?

It’s a good opportunity for a lot of young guys from an interview standpoint. You run it like you would run it if you were to run a room when they’re not here. And when they’re here, it’s their room and it’s the same role you were doing prior to the 2025 season. That’s no different than a lot of them. That’s been the same way everywhere.

Q. You talked about the assistants that will not be here next year kind of managing the time game week, versus the time before game week. How much is that true for you, too, in terms of you planning ahead for ’26 and filling out staff and figuring all of that out now — versus prepping for a game and getting ready for that next playoff game?

COACH GOLDING: I think everybody in the country is having to do that. You’re going through the retention of your own roster, which you’re not going to know until January 2nd.

Then what pieces are graduating; will declare early for the draft that you’re going to need to replace. Will a guy that you see be able to make an impact immediately? Having those guys ready to roll for when the portal opens. The visits will have to happen pretty quick. The turnover is pretty quick and have a plan in place.

That doesn’t matter if you have coaching turnover or not. Every school in the country is having to do that, manage that. That’s always been the case at this point. So it’s nothing out of the norm.