OXFORD -- Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin met with the media, discussing the Rebels' 42-0 win at Georgia Tech this past Saturday and previewing Saturday's 3 p.m. meeting with Tulsa.
Here's a look at what Kiffin said -- and maybe, just maybe, what he meant -- during Monday's press conference.
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Opening statement…
What he said: "First time with you guys since watching the film. I thought our players played really well in all three phases of the game. Going on the road, obviously not a hostile crowd like we'll eventually face, but still the obstacles of being on the road and being away from home. Put a pretty good recipe to win. Basically make them go three-and-out or four-and-out every series, then run the ball for over 300 yards on 60-some carries, you're going to win a lot of games. I thought they played with really good effort, good energy. For two games in a row they have not come out flat at the half with big leads like they did the first week. A lot of progress there, but obviously, we've got a lot of work to do with better opponents coming up, and it starts with the No. 1 pass offense in the country by far—not even close. This is a totally different challenge than we've had. I think some people would say the best team we've played—most challenging team for sure, schematically and passing game, then the defense is very unique, even though we do a lot of the same stuff over the last two years. It's very unique from other people.”
What he meant: Pretty standard opening statement stuff. Kiffin clearly challenged his team after a poor second half versus Troy, and they answered against both Central Arkansas and Georgia Tech in that regard. The Rebels dominated Georgia Tech on the ground and on defense. Now, Tulsa, with a completely different offense, comes to town, and I’m guessing here that Kiffin is pleased, knowing SEC play is around the corner and the offenses the Rebels are about to face — well, except for Auburn’s — are going to be more balanced than some of what they’ve seen so far in September.
On Jaxson Dart's play after throwing an INT at GT…
What he said: "He responded really well. I think 6-of-6. He came out in the second half after the interception and threw for over 100 yards and six or seven for seven, and he didn't turn the ball over outside of that play. It was a really good job of managing the game outside of the play. Trying to teach him that you have to take every game independent of how you play and what's going on with it. This was a game where we were playing great defense, running the ball really well, so the last thing you want to do is take risks at the quarterback position. You don't need to. Sometimes you do a little more when you're in a shootout. I think he definitely learned from it. You don't like bad things to happen, but if they can happen and you can still win and you can learn from them, then they're better to happen then than in a one-score game that you lose.”
What he meant: The situation with Dart just before the half was the stuff of coaches’ dreams. Young player makes a bad decision which leads to a teachable moment in a win. You win the game and get the opportunity to make a correction and a point that hopefully sticks in the young player’s mind moving forward. And Dart played very well in the second half, maybe with one exception that we’ll get to later in this press conference. I did think it was interesting that Kiffin discussed managing the game. I almost wonder if he is starting to think that his defense and running game are good enough to win a good bit in the SEC as long as his quarterback manages the game and doesn’t make really bad decisions. I want to emphasize that I’m not even guessing at this point. I’m just wondering, but it’s something I thought about as Kiffin was delivering this answer.
On if he's sticking with the current QB situation…
What he said: "We are. I know it's probably not exciting for you guys. We'll get a lot of coverage on it. It works what we're doing. I would've liked the opportunity to throw more with Luke Altmyer, but just having empathy for what was going on in that game and the other sideline and the hot seat or whatever he's on, just really didn't feel like it was right. Where if it was a couple-score game or something, Luke would've gotten to throw more there.”
What he meant: Look, Kiffin has never been a CoachSpeak guy, and frankly, he seems more open with media this year than in previous years. If he says no decision has been made at quarterback, I’m going to take him at his word. I find it difficult to believe he’s trying to trick Tulsa’s defensive staff. I think Kiffin likes both quarterbacks and is pleased enough with both to not make a decision that doesn’t necessarily have to be made. Also, that was interesting regarding running up the score and Geoff Collins’ hot seat. Kiffin not only is a coach but he also grew up in a football household. His dad, Monte, was a legendary NFL coach, so Kiffin respects the game and the people who make a living coaching it. Ole Miss could’ve thrown the ball in the second half and gotten into the 50s on the scoreboard, but there was no point in further embarrassing Georgia Tech. Kudos to him for that.
On Khari Coleman…
What he said: "We expect him to play, you know that. It was good for other guys to get opportunities. Same with the targeting. Got other people to play. We got almost everybody in, in some form.”
What he meant: There’s not a lot to interpret there. That’s a pretty straight-forward answer. In the end, the ankle tweak and the ejection were likely blessings. Both guys got off the field, younger guys got more work, etc.
On what he's looking to clean up offensively after three games…
What he said: "Even though it wasn't a major issue, but in three games as a whole, the pass protection—with everybody, tight ends and backs included—has been an issue. It's hard with stats and points to say a lot of things on defense. But we still haven't really been tested in a passing game. Like I told them today, if you want to be tested, you've got the best in the country coming at you. We'll find something out Saturday.”
What he meant: Offensive pass protection is the one thing I’m really interested in at this point. Obviously, Tulsa is going to throw the football. That’s what it does. However, I’m not sure the Golden Hurricane have the personnel to stress Ole Miss’ offensive line in pass protection. Kentucky does. That game is going to be a litmus test in so many ways.
On keeping the team focused on Tulsa…
What he said: "Not joking, I told them this morning, you've got to understand rat poison. It's out there, and it comes when you play really well. Especially when the outcome is what it looks like and the score. Now our running backs are hearing how great they are, and defense and everything. You still have to look at the process of things. We missed a lot of holes in the running game, where there were a lot of big plays left out there. We have to keep plugging along. Every week is independent of the week before. These guys have to learn that because it doesn't matter what you did the week before. That's why you guys sit around and compare scores—well this team beat that team, then we played them and them. I've done that game. Then you realize that doesn't matter at all. That's why there are surprises every Saturday.”
What he meant: I always get a kick out of the “rat poison” thing because it shows you just how much Kiffin paid attention to Nick Saban during his time at Alabama. They’re totally different people and all of that, but Kiffin is a bright guy. He knew he was around greatness and he absorbed as much as he could, I’m guessing. And he’s right; a team can read its press clippings and lose its hunger without realizing it — until it’s too late. Also, let the record show that Kiffin thinks the theory of applying the transitive property to college football games is an absurdly stupid thing to do. He’s right. It’s idiotic. Don’t do it, especially if you’re a gambler. You’ll lose more than you’ll win.
On using Nick Saban's phrase rat poison…
What he said: "He probably doesn't know. He doesn't look at social media or anything, so he probably doesn't know when I copy him. I don't know where he got that from when we were there. But it really is true. You've got to remember, like I tell our coaches, our kids deal with that everywhere they go. It's not just when you guys write about it. They go to class and everybody tells them how great they are. We've got to be very careful of that, especially with so many new players.”
What he meant: It was a throw-away follow-up question before Parrish Alford asked his real question. But it was a funny moment in a press conference.
On his preference of balance offensively…
What he said: "I say at the end of the year, you like to be 50/50. But that's the end of the year. Again, every game is independent and you have no idea how it's going to go during the game. You don't know. It thought the game would go that way running-wise. Then you think that sometimes and it doesn't. I don't think anybody would've thought Arkansas would've been, whatever it was, 1,200 yards or something and 52-51 when you looked at it the year before. You can't predict those things exactly. Then you have to do what's best to win.”
What he meant: I’m always amused when people describe Kiffin’s offense as “pass-happy” or whatnot. It’s balanced. More importantly, he utilizes what he has and builds around that. It might be why the “manage the game” comment got my attention, but again, I’m just kind of wondering at this point. Ole Miss is 0-0 in the SEC. The part of the season we’ll all be talking about hasn’t happened yet. And Kiffin’s remembering the yardage totals from that Arkansas game cracked me up. What a game that was. Just incredible. Ole Miss and Arkansas, starting with the 2021 season, are a combined 25-7, with three of those losses coming against Alabama or Georgia. No idea what made me think of that; I suppose one can look back on that wild game in Oxford and realize it was a harbinger of sorts.
On what stood out defensively vs. Georgia Tech…
What he said: "I think the pressure on the quarterback. A lot of the defensive ends got a ton of pressure on the quarterback—Cedric Johnson, Tavius Robinson for two weeks in a row have just been relentless on the edges. Which is obviously game-changing when you've got two unique defensive ends playing the way they're playing. It's really cool. There's just been a lot of learning lessons for our guys about playing hard and not deciding when to do what. We're in punt safe and Cedric blocks a punt that 99 out of 100 times somebody blocks you on, so you don't need to go really hard, because you're a D-lineman. And most people don't. and there he is going full speed and blocks the punt. There's Jonathan Mingo chasing down the defender on what they ruled as potentially a lateral, and Mingo is chasing the guy down so we'll have another chance on defense if it goes the other way. There's a lot of really cool effort stuff for guys to learn from.”
What he meant: There was a lot of praise for effort today. Coaches talk a lot about building culture. Ole Miss deserves a ton of credit, for Kiffin and his staff have done just that in a fairly short period of time.
On having similarly dominant defensive performances in SEC play…
What he said: "I'm not worried about that. We're not there. We're playing Tulsa and worried about this week. You need to be. No. 1 pass offense in the country. It'd be great to have some home field advantage with the crowd when you're dealing with a team that's throwing all the time and you're trying to pass rush. That would be big. Like we tell the players, it's tell the truth Monday. We should have a better atmosphere than we've had here with as many wins as these players have put together and have more of a home field advantage. We did at times last year for the bigger games. The players don't pick and choose when they play hard.”
What he meant: Forget the football part of this answer. It’s been covered. Tulsa throws it a lot and the quarterback is pretty good (11 touchdowns, 1 interception thus far this season). The interesting thing here was Kiffin challenging the fans. The atmosphere for the first two games was sort of ho-hum, something that has been a challenge for athletics programs all over the country. The Covid overreaction year — and that’s what it was; if we could have peaceful protests and not so peaceful protests that summer that turned out not to be superspreaders, we could’ve had full crowds at football games — changed the way a lot of people consumed sports. Since then, fans are more selective about which games they attend. But it’s on Kiffin’s mind, so it’s out there. “The players don’t pick and choose when they play hard.” It doesn’t take a mind-reader to figure that one out.
On if he predicted Zach Evans to be as good as he has been…
What he said: "Yeah, I did. And what's really neat is, and Zach has seen them now, Zach missed some plays. Now we put a lot of new runs in to give them problems that we haven't done. So he hadn't had a ton of reps at them. Again, when you have all these new guys, everything is new. They don't have any stored reps with us from last year when we did things. He missed some runs that would've been really big. If he comes up here, he'll tell you that. That's what's really neat is he can be even better and more productive than he's been, which is really special.”
What he meant: Well, that should scare the hell out of teams still left on Ole Miss’ schedule. Evans has been really good so far.
On what he saw from Quinshon Judkins that earned him a prominent role…
What he said: "I think it goes back to in recruiting when I was at that game, the state championship, and he had a ton of carries. And just the way his mentality, how he kept working and grinding away. Then you see it in practice and scrimmages and stuff. Even though he missed some time. He's just a really elite talent and vision. You ain't teaching vision. You get really lucky when you have it as a coach, a running back that has it like him. You can see it. The way he makes people miss as they just appear. That's not coachable.”
What he meant: This should scare the rest of the SEC even more. It’s just not like Kiffin to heap praise on individuals like this. It’s just not his style, but with Judkins, I mean, what’s he going to do? The kid is a stud. Everyone sees it.
On if he hopes to see more freshmen contribute in the future…
What he said: "No, we'd really like to not have really unique great players that play early. I mean come on. But you are right, we have not had a lot of that where we've had premier high school players that walk in and are elite players right away. To see the running back and the corner (Davison Igbinosun), Tysheem Johnson a year ago. That's really special. Because then, obviously, you have them for longer, minus the portal. When they're that young and playing that well, that's great. Instead of having to always bring people in to fix all the issues.”
What he meant: Kiffin had some fun picking on Nick Suss here, but then he answered the question. Obviously, Kiffin would love to sign a stable full of elite high school players ready to play as freshmen. He’s got a couple this year, and he’s smart to make sure the public — and future stars such as Judkins and Igbinosun — knows the best players play, regardless of age.
On Dart's physical running…
What he said: "The amount of times he ran was designed. Some of those were reads. Some of those are passes where he rolls out and when it's not there, he runs. It wasn't the amont of times and those other third downs are quarterback draws, like what you see Matt Corral did at Tennessee and Mississippi State. That was something we just put in. I'm fine with that. Just like with anything. New player, new quarterback, you have to teach them everything. There's times you run with a different style depending on the game, depending on what's going on. No, I don't like that he's on the left sideline in a game the way it's going, he puts his right shoulder down to run the guy over. We've got to get that out of him. That's a good problem you have that you have to get that out of him. Then he buys into what we talk about. Because he hears us talk all the time, plus-two mentality—two more yards on the sideline not running out of bounds. I guess he took that to heart. We were really talking to the other skill players.”
What he meant: I had wondered if a couple of Dart’s decisions as a runner had bothered Kiffin, and I assumed correctly. Kiffin obviously likes Dart’s competitiveness and buy-in, however, for he complimented his effort even while acknowledging that trying to truck a defender in the second half of a blowout win isn’t advisable.
On Jaylon Robinson…
What he said: "We hope he plays. I would really think he plays too. I probably wouldn't have guessed we would be that productive, had you told me a month ago going into the season, that Michael Trigg catches one pass and Jaylon doesn't play. But that's a great thing to be able to be that productive and have guys stepping up and making plays.”
What he said: This was an interesting answer. It tells you some of the developments offensively have been a bit of a surprise. It also tells you Kiffin likely thought Robinson was going to play a big role in this offense. He still likely will; another sign that the part of the season we’ll talk about when it’s over hasn’t been played yet. To some degree, we really don’t know what this team is just yet.
On Nick Broeker's play and his transition to guard…
What he said: "I didn't know he was the Player of the Week until that because our SID didn't tell me those things when we walked up here. We just walked five minutes from the field and he didn't tell me a thing about it so thank you. When the team plays well, when a unit plays well, individual awards come. He did play really well on top of that. He's one of those guys that it was so great he came back, which is new nowadays, because everyone just leaves even when they don't get drafted. The style he plays with, the adjustment of position, it's just great to be able to point out to the other guys.”
What he meant: Kiffin was asked to comment on Broeker earning SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors for his play against Georgia Tech. He took the opportunity to playfully jab Kyle Campbell, who accompanied him to the press conference. And he’s right; when teams play well, individuals earn honors. And it’s interesting that he admitted he’s used Broeker, who moved from tackle to guard, as an example to other players. The goal is to put the best 11 on the field. Sometimes that involves some personal sacrifice.
