McCready: Ole Miss establishes identity in win over South Carolina

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OXFORD -- Lane Kiffin's hands were in the air before Matt Corral even looked Elijah Moore's way.

The Ole Miss coach knew he had dialed up a touchdown before his quarterback looked back to his left, seeing Moore wide open in the middle of the field.

Corral unleashed a perfect throw, prompting Kiffin to toss his clipboard into the air in celebration. Moore caught it and raced into the end zone, with Kiffin accompanying him down the sideline, pumping his fist and losing his headset as Moore crossed the goal line.

The 91-yard touchdown pass gave Ole Miss a 45-42 lead lead with 12:02 left. The Rebels held on from there, beating South Carolina, 59-42.

"I was just so nervous," Kiffin said. "We had to score every time."

The game's most important touchdown came at a time when it appeared Ole Miss was losing momentum. The Rebels' defense, a unit that has struggled all season, had no answers for South Carolina's offense and appeared to be gassed. Ole Miss had muffed the kickoff and was facing second-and-7 from its own 9-yard-line.

Kiffin answered with the longest play in Ole Miss history.

In just seven games, Kiffin has given Ole Miss a new identity. The Rebels are explosive on offense. They're unpredictable. They're fun.

Case in point: Facing a fourth-and-10 on the South Carolina 25, Kiffin eschewed conventional wisdom and went for it. Ole Miss scored, predictably, actually, on a pass from Corral to Moore.

"I just had to trust our players," Kiffin said. "They came through for us."

Kiffin celebrated by tossing his clipboard into the stands. A staffer had to retrieve it.

Ole Miss rolled up 708 yards of offense Saturday. Corral broke the school record with 513 passing yards.

"It's awesome to see him play this way," Kiffin said.

No one is hoping for a COVID-19 vaccine more than Ole Miss' athletics department. The Rebels are 3-4 after beating the Gamecocks, but there won't be any tickets available next fall. Kiffin can't entertain official visitors this winter or spring either, but it shouldn't be difficult to entice offensive prospects to at least consider matriculating to Oxford.

The future is bright. Kiffin fits at Ole Miss. That becomes more and more apparent with each passing week.

The Rebels have a lot of improving to do on defense before it's really ready to compete in the Southeastern Conference. That's obvious, and no one inside the program is running from that fact. Ole Miss can certainly sell early playing time on that side of the ball.

"We have to stop some people at some point," Kiffin said. "It's certainly fun right now."

Ole Miss can absolutely sell fun. That's become Ole Miss' brand, and Kiffin won't want that limited to just offense.

It's really that simple. After years of boredom and stagnation, Ole Miss has established a brand.

It took just two months, a shattered record book and a flying clipboard.