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Early Saturday, Ole Miss announced a new contract for Lane Kiffin.
As RebelGrove.com reported last month, a new deal, with more money for Kiffin and his staff, plus an agreement from Ole Miss to improve facilities, was imminent.
Ole Miss didn’t release details Saturday regarding Kiffin’s new contract, but I’d be willing to bet if included the aforementioned raises, an increase to the buyout other parties would have to pay to acquire Kiffin’s services, plus the real commitment to a facilities upgrade.
Hours later, Kiffin showed why Ole Miss was so eager to further secure its coach.
With a roster depleted due to opt-outs, injuries and COVID-19 protocols, Ole Miss lined up and went toe to toe with No. 7 Indiana in the Outback Bowl.
Wide receiver Braylon Sanders didn’t play. Neither did running back Jerrion Ealy. Both of those offensive weapons were injured in the second half of Ole Miss’ Dec. 19 loss at LSU. Linebacker Lakia Henry was held out due to COVID-19 protocols. Throw in the opt-outs of wide receiver Elijah Moore and tight end Kenny Yeboah and the Rebels were awfully shorthanded against a Hoosiers team that was one possession short of a Big Ten title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Ole Miss won anyway, beating Indiana, 26-20, finishing Kiffin’s first season with a 5-5 mark and with worlds of momentum.
As much as Saturday was about a New Year’s Day (ish) Bowl in Florida against a Big Ten team having a historic season, it was more about the future.
Ole Miss made a huge statement in that regard by releasing the Kiffin contract news hours before kickoff. Kiffin, in just less than 13 months, has made Ole Miss relevant and fun. There has been a moratorium on in-person recruiting due to the COVID-19 pandemic since March, yet Kiffin and his staff are in the process of landing a top-20 class, and top-15 isn’t completely out of the question.
Yes, it has to be frustrating — if not downright maddening — for Ole Miss fans to once again watch a double-digit, fourth-quarter lead disappear. Once again, Ole Miss got a little conservative on offense late, and that’s not what Kiffin and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby do well. Some of that, of course, is a result of the lack of depth and lack of talent on defense. Ole Miss struggled under both Hugh Freeze and Matt Luke to recruit high-impact defensive talent, and all season long, as predicted, that showed up.
Had Ole Miss had an average defense, the Rebels might have knocked off Florida and/or Alabama. With an average defense, Ole Miss likely beats Arkansas and Auburn and definitely defeats LSU. However, had previous staffs recruited well on the defensive side of the ball, Kiffin wouldn’t have been hired in December 2019.
As it was, tied 20-20 late, Ole Miss put together Saturday’s game-winning possessions with seldom-used defenders playing big roles, Casey Kelly emerging as a primary target at tight end and with John Rhys Plumlee making multiple big plays in the slot. Dontario Drummond made big plays, finishing with six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. So did Jonathan Mingo and Jadon Jackson. Henry Parrish Jr. was very good. So was Snoop Conner.
Matt Corral, the quarterback the previous staff had given up on, was 30-for-44 passing 342 yards and two touchdowns. In a game where there was no margin for error, Corral was basically perfect.
Corral played his best game Saturday, taking what Indiana gave him and not falling into the trap Kane Wommack and Indiana was trying to set. Corral willed Ole Miss to a win.
That was fitting. It was a nod to the recently completed season, one that will be remembered as borderline special. More importantly, though, it was a nod to the future. Corral will be a legitimate Heisman candidate entering the season. Ole Miss is bringing in impactful players on defense. Ealy will be back, likely ready to put all of his focus on football and ready himself for the 2022 NFL Draft.
And Kiffin will once again be on the sidelines, leading a program in which he fits like a broken-in glove. Ole Miss will move into the 2021 season as a team poised to make noise in the SEC West. Make no mistake, Ole Miss isn’t ready to contend; it takes three strong recruiting classes to get to that level.
But a year after being an afterthought in the league, Ole Miss has everyone’s attention.
This season was about relevance and fun. Check and check.
Moving forward, it’ll be about much more than that, and on Saturday, Ole Miss and Kiffin gave Rebels fans plenty of reasons to be excited and hopeful.
