Lane Kiffin: ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do this week and got to get better’
OXFORD, Miss. – The 2022 Rebels are in uncharted waters after losing their first game of the season versus LSU last Saturday.
The 45-20 loss was the first since January for head coach Lane Kiffin’s squad, so this is the first time the many transfers and freshmen on the roster have been on the losing end at Ole Miss.
This poses a big challenge, especially since the team will go on the road again this weekend.
“This is really, I guess in a year, our first time of having a Monday after a loss [and] coming back to meet with the players and practice, so it’s a new challenge for our guys, and the biggest key is that, one loss, you don’t allow it to move into more losses.”
Coach Kiffin on the loss to LSU
After racing to a 17-3 lead in Death Valley, the LSU Tigers outscored the Rebels 42-3 to finish the game. This continued the season-long trend of not playing a fully great game.
While the Rebels have experienced many of the same issues throughout the season, Coach Kiffin reiterated that against better teams, these kinds of issues would come to light, leading to the loss Saturday in Baton Rouge.
“We’ve got to learn from [the loss], [and] we’ve got to improve in certain areas. We had too many penalties, [with] some poor decisions on ones. We’ve got a lot of work to do this week and got to get better.”
Coach Lane Kiffin
The improvement started with practice on Monday, and Kiffin put forth some optimism for the rest of the week.
“It was just a walkthrough, but I think they were good,” Kiffin said. “Just pointing out, here’s the things we did really well in the game, and here’s where we fell apart. Just got to do a better job in a lot of areas.”
The defense had its worst game of the season versus LSU, giving up 500 yards of total offense and touchdowns on the Tigers’ last four possessions.
Kiffin highlighted the specific areas that went wrong on the defensive side of the ball, but he knows his defense is capable of improvement because they have shown success before.
“We’ve got to tackle better and limit explosive plays, which is what we had done really well early in the year. We showed them some film today just to make sure. Here’s something from three weeks ago [from] the Kentucky game, how well we played and the energy we played with and gang tackling. It’s not like we have to come up with it out of nowhere. We’ve done it.”
Coach Kiffin on the defense
The offense also had its woes, especially after QB Jaxson Dart threw an interception in the end zone in the third quarter. The Rebels failed to score in the second half for the second time this season. Kiffin noted that the loud environment played a role in their struggles that have continued to derail the team.
“When you go play really good players in a really hard environment, your weaknesses get magnified. We’re going to have the same thing this week if we don’t fix it.”
Coach Kiffin
The Rebels will have to deal with quite possibly a crazier environment at Kyle Field Saturday night against Texas A&M than they saw at Tiger Stadium.
While he continues to tend to his team, Kiffin outlined the challenges the Rebels will face this week, including a talent-loaded roster.
“I think they’ll be very excited to play, and they’re coming home after being on the road for a long time,” Kiffin said about the Aggies.
“Their crowd is always one of the hardest places to play in the country. I’m sure they’ll come and be ready to get back on the winning track.”
Coach Kiffin on the Aggies
Both the Rebels and the Aggies will look to bounce back from road losses this week in the Rebels’ first night game since Week 2. Kickoff at Kyle Field in College Station is for 6:30pm on SEC Network.
Trevor Terminie
Trevor is a senior at Ole Miss pursuing a degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Sports Communication and Promotion. He has previous experience covering sports for another site, including a variety of Ole Miss sports. Growing up in New Orleans, La., he has the Pelicans and Saints running through his blood. He also grew up in an LSU family, but his love for Ole Miss continues to grow. Trevor hopes to cover sports back in his hometown after college. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
