OXFORD -- Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin met with the media Monday, discussing the 13th-ranked Rebels’ 52-17 this past Saturday and previewing Saturday’s clash with Louisiana-Monroe (11 a.m., Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, SEC Network).
Here's a look at what Kiffin said -- and maybe, just maybe, what he meant -- during Monday's press conference.
What he said/what he meant is presented by MyPerfectFranchise.net.
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Opening Statement:
What he said:
"Good to get back out there with the guys. The chance to have an undefeated home season is awesome, so obviously a lot to play for with that. Senior day for our guys, a number of them to play their last game here, is special. We're excited to get this opportunity to get to nine wins and going undefeated at home would be great.”
What he meant: Nothing to add. The Georgia game is over. There are wins to get. It’s critical to get them. Going unbeaten at home would also be very cool.
On how the team responded at practice today after the loss Saturday:
What he said:
"I think they did good. I think this morning, watching it was rough. You are what you put on film that day. We weren't very good, we've already discussed that last night on the call. When you get knocked down, do you get back up or do you stay down? I thought guys were really good by the time we got out on the field and understood that there's a ton at stake here.”
What he meant: Again, the Georgia game is over. It will always be 52-17. It was tough to watch. The key now is not letting Georgia beat you twice.
On Chris Graves' performance over the last few weeks:
What he said:
"Chris has done a great job, especially for getting here that late and being such a young player. It says a lot about how seriously he took the approach coming in. Also would show you our lack of depth at the position too, to bring a young kid in that late. Not just bring him in, but then they go and end up playing for you a lot. Says a lot about those situations.”
What he meant: It says a lot about the lack of depth on the roster that Graves is forced into such a huge role at this point in the season. It says there’s still a long way to go in terms of building a roster.
On growing up as a coach's son:
What he said:
"I did (enjoy that). First of all, lot of respect for coach (Terry) Bowden. We played him in the Boca Bowl when he was at Akron and I got to visit with him then. Really did some amazing things at a young age. He won his first 20 games at Auburn. I think growing up around it was awesome, I'm very appreciative of that opportunity. You start learning so much at an early age, you're kind of already going to football college when you're growing up. I'm very appreciative of that, and well aware that that's had a lot to do with getting opportunities early on because of that, so very appreciative of that.”
What he meant: The question was about how he and ULM coach Terry Bowden grew up similarly. The answer led to a follow-up.
On the similarities and differences between Lane and Monte Kiffin's coaching styles:
What he said:
"I think we're very different in a lot of ways. The obvious one is offense defense. I try to be more like him every year. I think he's an amazing person when it comes to relationships with the other coaches and players and developing them off the field. I just know all of the former players that I know, the way that they talk about him. We were even on text Saturday morning, Sapp and Lynch and Brooks, something about him because there was an old picture of him at Nebraska that he looked like my brother and stuff. He's left a legacy and touched a lot of people, so I really try to work on that and I've got a long way to go.”
What he meant: I thought this was the answer of the day. The “I’ve got a long way to go” segment was a display, I thought, of a coach still trying to learn how to do the soft things better. Kiffin wants to learn how to connect to players and coaches better, and I don’t think that comes naturally to him.
On Zakhari Franklin:
What he said:
"He did go on the trip. He ended up by his decision not playing, so you'd have to ask him.”
What he meant: A source told RebelGrove.com on Friday that Franklin is no longer with the team. This answer seemed to confirm that.
On the seniors who have a chance to return because of the COVID year:
What he said:
"I've started the conversation with those guys. A number of them, even if they haven't made their decision whether they're coming back, are still going to do senior night and still potentially come back. You'll see a lot of those guys go ahead and do that, and then we'll sit down after the season when we get all of their grades back in and educate them and let them make their decision.”
What he meant: I touched on this in the mini-War Room Friday. Kiffin is trying to talk several players into coming back next season, and several very well might.
On the challenge of having a short week with the Egg Bowl being on Thanksgiving Day:
What he said:
"I think it's set up better this year. Scheduling put us on the road, in a tough conference game, late at night, to come back for an 11 a.m. kick. I'm not making excuses, that's obviously not ideal, especially when the other team is playing an 11 a.m. non-conference game. We were very disappointed in that setup, so glad this year is a much more equal setup from the standpoint about when we're playing and what type of team we're playing, but that is challenging. We'll actually, which is the way it should be with the early kick, instead of getting back here at 1:00 in the morning like last time, we'll actually finish the game and then start working Saturday afternoon after the game for the opponent.”
What he meant: Last season, Ole Miss played Arkansas at night on the road five days before Thanksgiving. They played 96 offensive snaps or something like that. It was brutal. The Rebels looked tired in the Egg Bowl. Playing ULM at 11 a.m. at home is a much better equation.
On if the volatility of the coaching landscape surprises him:
What he said:
"Yeah, it does. I mean it's not like it used to be. Used to be you had time to build things and you had years to sign classes and see them develop before people made a decision. That's obviously not what's going on. To be let go 10 games into your first season when you got hired late like Zach [Arnett], really I don't know how you do that that fast. I don't know how the expectation is to judge you that fast about the job that you did. Unfortunately, it's kind of the thing to fire people fast. To me it's kind of the grass is always greener, so you know, it is what it is.”
What he meant: Nothing really to add to that. I thought this was a very thoughtful answer to the changing landscape of college football.
On how far the fan base has come to create a home field advantage:
What he said:
"I think that we've had some tremendous crowds this year and energy that has impacted some of the games with some false starts, that was really great to see. I'm very honest and realistic about things, and I can't say that was always the case during this run a year and a half to two years ago. It doesn't matter what it used to be, it matters what it is now, so hopefully we keep that up. Kind of like you say with players there's a test game, this is kind of a test game for fans. Do you show up when it's not a conference game? I would like to think so. Like I've always said, you get really mad when the players don't show up, so have that expectation for yourself.”
What he meant: Kiffin challenged the fans to show up for ULM. I suspect he’ll be fairly disappointed Saturday. I’m Team Fans here. People can do with their spare time and spare income whatever they’d like. These buy games suck.
On if he anticipates some players getting more playing time this week if everything goes well:
What he said:
"Yeah, I'm not going to really detail that. If a game were to ever go well, period, that's always good. It's always good for your players to have a lower play count. If you look at our play count a year ago in that Arkansas game, how high that was offensively, compared to what Mississippi State did in their 11 a.m. game. It would be ideal to have lower snap counts, and it's always good to get more guys experience.”
What he meant: Yes, he’d love a blowout and to play the backups the second half, leaving gas in the tank for the Egg Bowl.
