The Texas Longhorns are well into their third season in the Southeastern Conference, so there aren’t many firsts left when it comes to facing new conference opponents.
However, on Saturday, Texas will set its sights on one of the few firsts still left. This weekend, the Longhorns host the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels, and it’ll be the first time the two teams meet as SEC opponents, as well as the first meeting between the programs since 2013.
Over a decade later, the two teams will meet again in Austin with first-year head coach Pete Golding leading the Rebels.
While 2026 is his first full year as the Rebels’ head man, Golding took over late in the 2025 season after being promoted from defensive coordinator, a role he held in Oxford, Mississippi, since 2023, following the messy exit of current LSU head coach Lane Kiffin. In his first few weeks, he led the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Golding and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian aren’t strangers. Both served on the Alabama coaching staff in 2019 and 2020. Golding, as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, and Sarkisian, as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, helped lead the Crimson Tide to a national title in 2020.
Accordingly, the two expressed respect for each other ahead of their head-coaching matchup.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with Sark at Alabama,” Golding said on Monday. “(I have) a lot of respect for him. I think he’s one of the best play callers in the country, and it’s not close.”
Sarkisian shared the same sentiment.
“He’s done a heck of a job,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “Pete and I are very good friends. I’ve got a ton of respect for him. He’s doing a great job.”
Following a dominant 31-3 win over then-No. 13 Missouri last week, Golding’s Rebels head to the Forty Acres with a 5–1 overall record and a 3–1 record in the SEC.
Golding and the Rebels’ only loss came at the hands of the Florida Gators, a result now shared by both Ole Miss and Texas.
Since then, Golding has reset his team and built a two-game winning streak heading into Austin.
Fifth-year quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has led the Rebels to become the No. 2 passing offense and the No. 6 scoring and total offense in the SEC, while junior running back Kewan Lacy ranks No. 8 in yards per carry and No. 9 overall in rushing yards per game in the SEC.
Golding continues to call the Rebels’ defense, and his side of the ball has struggled through six games, as the Ole Miss defense ranks dead last in yards allowed per game in the conference.
However, Ole Miss’ defense might’ve turned the page after surrendering just three points to a Missouri offense that averaged 35.8 points heading into last Saturday’s game. Golding knows his team will need its best to leave Austin with a win, even as it faces a Texas offense that has underperformed.
“What’s unique about this year, to me, is when you watch (the Longhorns) on tape, they’ve had a lot of bad luck,” Golding said. “I think it’s somehow been lost that they beat the No. 1 team in the country, they were the No. 1 team in the country at some point, and they haven’t played perfect. … We’re going to have our work cut out for us.”
