Pete Golding didn’t have much time to linger on Ole Miss’ emotional 32-24 win over LSU. The Rebels celebrated a revenge-game victory against the coach who left them ahead of last year’s College Football Playoff run, but by Sunday the focus had already shifted.
Golding said in his postgame interview with ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe that Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and Ole Miss chancellor Glenn Boyce would likely have a beer after the win. Still, the pause in the schedule was brief. Golding spent Sunday morning meeting with recruits, then turned his attention to Florida and what the Rebels are walking into this week.
From a defensive coach’s perspective, the first thing that stood out on tape was the Gators’ new offense under head coach Jon Sumrall and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.
“I think the quarterback how [looks] comfortable; he's playing and really managing the offense and making really good decisions, and like he reminds me of a coach's kid on tape,” Golding said of his initial impressions. “Man, he's tough as nails.
He's really smart. You can tell him they, you know, they snap on over the head and just telling everybody calm down, relax.”
That quarterback is Aaron Philo, a first-year starter who transferred to Florida this offseason after following Faulkner from Georgia Tech. He spent two seasons backing up Haynes King before getting his chance in Gainesville, and he won the starting job over Tramell Jones in fall camp.
The early results have been strong. Through three games, Philo has completed 73.4 percent of his passes for 721 yards and six touchdowns with just two interceptions. He has also run for 55 yards and two scores, though he is more of a traditional pocket passer than a true rushing threat.
If Philo brings poise, Florida’s biggest punch still comes on the ground with Jadan Baugh. Golding didn’t soften his assessment of the junior back.
“Obviously, the running back you know we've played against is an elite player. I think one of the best backs in the country,” Goldings said.
Baugh, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season, has opened this year with an SEC-best 458 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 54 carries. And even with Faulkner’s air-raid background, Golding expects the Gators to keep leaning into the run game.
“His versatility with personnel and offense-he's always done an unbelievable job of formation you and shifting in motion and create matchups to be able to run the football,” Golding said. “… So they're a really, really talented football team that can run the football first, set up their play action game.”
Ole Miss’ defense showed some progress against LSU, holding Kiffin’s offense to seven points after the Rebels were forced into a shootout in Week 1 against Louisville. Florida, though, gives Golding and his group another demanding test, and another chance to prove the questions they answered last week were only the beginning.
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