OXFORD -- Lane Kiffin met with the media Monday to review his team's 28-10 win over Troy and to preview No. 21 Ole Miss' Saturday night date with Central Arkansas.
The Rebels and the Bears kick off at 6 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The game will be televised by SEC+.
Here is what Kiffin said -- and maybe, just maybe, what he was trying to say -- during Monday's press conference.
Opening statement…
What he said:
"Game recap, kind of tale of two games, as you probably know from the score. As you look at things, it's 28-3, you've got two different chances to go up 35-3 and kind of blow the game open and screwed up with the turnover on a missed throw that could've been a touchdown and unfortunately didn't put them away. It's a good lesson to learn. As we play better teams, we wouldn't be able to get away with some of the things that happened in the game—especially the three turnovers in one half of football. Always try to find something good in the bad. It forced our guys to play a little longer than maybe we would've wanted to, but it also got them in shape since they had to play longer and play into that heat into the fourth quarter. That part of it was good.”
What he meant: No Coachspeak 101. He’s right. Ole Miss could’ve blown out Troy, but the Rebels were their own worst enemy. A fumble, an interception and a bad snap prevented points from going on the board and allowed Troy to have extra possessions. It wasn’t the plan, but Kiffin is good about taking positives from negatives.
On the QB situation…
What he said:
"We'd always like to have it figured out. This is not ideal. Luke Altmyer will go first in this game. So that gives both guys an opportunity to go first. We'll see how he plays. He didn't get as many opportunities as he would've liked, obviously we'd like to see the series go further. Then Jaxson Dart's interception, we were going to switch after that series. But as you know, I take a lot into the psyche of the quarterback, and we didn't want his last play to be an interception, so that ate up one of Luke's series.”
What he meant: Interesting. This answer was a little different than what I expected. Altmyer will start, but a lot of this answer is about Dart, which makes me wonder if the decision to go with Dart isn’t closer than it appears. Kiffin didn’t want Dart’s day to end with an interception, so he gave him more time. This two-quarterback thing is clearly not what he wants to do long-term.
On the O-Line's performance vs. Troy…
What he said:
"I thought our O-line did really good in the run game, and not very good in the passing game. It's not all on them. There's some other stuff in there, but it's fitting of our passing game not being really on. Troy has some good players. They always have, especially defensively. They beat LSU, Nebraska, they always have a lot of Alabama kids who are really good players that Alabama and Auburn don't take. You've got to remember that too. We're glad we won, because a lot of times, people don't win these games. Plus, you always feel the way you end normally right after the game. Because we didn't end well, I was pretty down. But that's really better than the other way—we came out ones vs. ones and we're down at halftime. I think it's a lot easier to correct finish and doing things well in the second half versus we're just not really good.”
What he meant: Troy is typically talented on defense, and the Trojans had some pass-rushing success on Saturday. Ole Miss’ second half wasn’t what anyone wanted, and that clouded the way people — Kiffin included — looked at the game. It sounds like, however, once Kiffin looked at the film more closely, he came away from the opener feeling more encouraged.
On Ulysses Bentley IV's limited carries…
What he said:
"It was not by design. He actually went second in the rotation and did a good job. Sometimes some things in a series happen or more passes are called. So that was not by design. He's done a great job.”
What he meant: Nothing. Bentley is fine and will play a big role on this team. Zach Evans and Quinshon Judkins were getting things done, and Kiffin needed to see some things in the passing game from Dart. There’s only one ball and there are only so many plays.
On Jaxson Dart's performance vs. Troy…
What he said:
"Probably just a little bit more of the same things (as his assessment postgame), the good and the bad. Ran really well, strong, moved around in the pocket well, got out of some trouble—he didn't have any sacks in the game, even in average pass protections. Then he made some mistakes, two critical ones. Interception, not the third-down easy completion in front of him because his feet are screwed up. I've said it before, you get spoiled. Like someone reminded me, that was Matt Corral's fourth year in college last year. When you have young guys like this, you're going to go through growing pains. It's always been that way, then every once in a while, you have the Jalen Hurts or Bryce Youngs who come around with all the pieces around them and really don't make a lot of those mistakes, but normally those are going to happen.”
What he said: This was a very positive answer if you’re Jaxson Dart. Kiffin generally liked his game, his toughness, his decision-making, etc. There were two mistakes, and Kiffin has put those in perspective. And he’s right. Dart is 19, in his second year of college. Corral had some stinkers at that age. Young quarterbacks make mistakes and coaches simply have to endure that to get to the point where those mistakes aren’t very frequent. Dart has a high ceiling, but there will be growing pains, as Kiffin noted, to reach it. Again, if I’m Dart, this answer makes me feel pretty good.
On getting newcomers finding consistency in the second half…
What he said:
"We had ‘Tell the truth Monday.’ Our meetings in the morning, we look at the good, bad and the ugly of the game. There were some loafs in there, some not effort that we're looking for. Nothing against other places, everyone does things different so I'm not saying we're better, but we're trying to break some habits. People were just coached different on certain things. I told them, 'A couple of you guys come from other places. We told you if you screwed up, you have to break these habits or your playing time is going to suffer.’"
What he meant: Buy-in is an ongoing process, and if you want to play, you’d better do it Kiffin’s way. Simple as that. There’s a way he wants things done and it’s not a request. If you’re looking for signs of culture in the program, there you have it.
On the wide receiver play vs. Troy…
What he said:
"I don't think they got a ton of opportunities. It was a very big zone, drop-deep game, which was part of the reason the run was so successful too. A few of the lineman issues, and the effort, finishing things. There really wasn't a whole lot of opportunities.”
What he meant: Just that. Troy was determined to keep the ball in front and that limited opportunities for Ole Miss’ wide receivers. There were other elements, obviously, but the Trojans game-planned, also.
On the linebacker play vs. Troy…
What he said:
"They did really well. It'd probably be the equivalent of us sitting up here and the quarterback was 80 percent completion between the two of them and four touchdowns, no picks. That was the concern over on defense, they did really well. Now, we're going to have bigger challenges, obviously, and some more space games. That was not a space game. They played in tight a lot. We're still going to have bigger challenges, but they did great. Actually, defensive players of the game were the two new linebackers. It's interesting, I didn't realize it until I was reading them off to the players. Quinshon Judkins was offense and the punter Fraser Masin was special teams. Our four players of the game were all brand new this year. I also told them we should never, ever have a player of the game be a punter, that's not a good thing.”
What he meant: Troy Brown and Khari Coleman were terrific. That had to be encouraging, as linebacker was a worry all summer and into preseason camp. Obviously, teams are going to try to make both players play in space more, so the jury is out, but the early returns are very promising for Ole Miss’ defense. Kiffin loves Judkins. Who wouldn’t? He was special Saturday. And the punter line? I suspect Kiffin wasn’t thrilled with some of the decisions made in the return game Saturday, and this was his way of saying as much without calling anyone out.
On Dart's interception…
What he said:
"I thought the ball, and this is very critical because it's so far down the field, was a few yards underthrown, but then JJ Henry also could've made a play on it. They kind of fell into it. It's a coverage where the nickel and him and JJ beat him, then the safety fell back in. It's not really on him. That stuff happens sometimes. Otherwise it would've been a cool play where he would've been wide open. You have to make competitive plays.”
What he meant: Again, interesting. This entire press conference was pretty positive in regards to Dart. He’s not excusing the interception, but he didn’t mind the line of thinking. Dart was trying to make a play. I think that’s noteworthy.
On if O-lines are struggling around the country and if defenses are more aggressive…
What he said:
"You watched way more than I did, so I wouldn't be able to tell you a Week 1 evaluation of that. I don't know that I've sensed that. I think people just have different philosophies. Some of these people now, kind of like us, Arkansas, are going the other way—keep the ball in front of you. That's what our defense did. They didn't give up explosive plays for the most part, kept the ball in front of them and had negative plays—I think 10 tackles for loss and all the sacks.”
What he meant: I’m not really sure. I felt like Ole Miss played aggressive and got more aggressive when it realized Troy was going to get rid of the football quickly. Arkansas, I thought, was more aggressive on defense because the Razorbacks were struggling with their pass rush from the front. But Kiffin knows more football than I’ll ever, ever pretend to know.
On the 12-team playoff expansion…
What he said:
"I was told by Keith Carter, the last thing on my mind or thing I'd worry about is however many years from now that is. My statement has always been that's better because more people have an opportunity. Instead of people sitting in a room deciding these four—and they can't be right, nothing against them. Otherwise in basketball, the No. 1 seeds would always be in the Final Four. I think it'll go a long way toward determining the best team better.”
What he meant: It’s in Ole Miss’ best interest to have an expanded playoff. Kiffin knows that. Ole Miss hasn’t had a lot of top-4 finishes, but the Rebels have been a top-12 team a few times recently. Kiffin obviously would love a shot at a playoff run.
On if he's concerned about his QBs' confidence in a two-QB system…
What he said:
"I do. I mean, look at Luke's play because of the different voice tones. He was going to change a mike point (pointing out the middle linebacker), and they snapped the ball thinking it was his cadence. You never want that, but you also want to make sure you find the best guys. This is what we think gives us the best chance long-term to win, to evaluate the situation to get the best player. And we still may be wrong after that. It happens all the time.”
What he meant: This two-quarterback thing isn’t going to last much longer. It’s problematic and the time to evaluate is winding to a close. I look for Kiffin to make a choice soon and roll with it, knowing there is a chance he makes the wrong call.
On Davison Igbinosun's performance in his first collegiate game…
What he said:
"Same thing since the day he got here. Much like Tysheem Johnson the year before, he does not seem like a freshman at all. Nothing rattled him out there. He came up and made big stops and big plays. It's really cool to have, because it's very unique to find these guys like him, like Tysheem, like Quinshon Judkins, who have such a unique mental makeup to be able to perform as true freshmen in major college football and play like that is awesome.”
What he meant: You should make sure you catch The Davison Igbinosun Show, presented by The College Corner, when it drops sometime Tuesday on MPW Digital. Kiffin is clearly a fan -- of the freshman cornerback, that is. I doubt he watches the show though he should.
