In this week’s SEC Coaches Teleconference, Lane Kiffin talks about the Rebels’ upcoming game vs. Arkansas
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin spoke with media on the SEC Coaches Weekly Teleconference Wednesday and talked about the improvement of his offense as well as the challenge his defensive unit will face with Arkansas headed to the Vaught this Saturday.
The offense struggled in the Rebels’ 24-10 loss to Alabama two weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, but rebounded in a big way in the 55-49 win over LSU Saturday.
Against the Tigers, Ole Miss gained 706 yards of offense with 389 coming through the air and 317 via the ground game. The Rebels’ rushing attack had been a bit anemic prior to the game against LSU, but they were back on track Saturday.
“Our run game was working a lot better by making first downs, which helps our tempo in the run game,” Coach Kiffin explained Wednesday. “We’ve been really missing the run game… It made a big difference.”
What also helped Ole Miss’ offensive performance was having several key players back and healthy. Wide receiver Tre Harris went down with an injury against Tulane and there’s no doubt the offense suffered in his absence. He underwent surgery on his knee and made a return against Alabama; although, he was certainly not at full speed.
According to Coach Kiffin, Harris is almost back to full health.
“What was awesome was I think he wasn’t 100 percent healthy Saturday. When he is, he’s one of the best receivers in the whole country. His touchdown percentage for playing time is off the charts, whatever it is… ridiculous. With the whole Alabama game, the situation was not having two critical guys at full strength for that game (Tre Harris and TE Caden Prieskorn). It was great to have him back last week. It was a big part of our 700 yards (against LSU).”
Lane Kiffin
Against LSU, Harris was the Rebels’ leading receiver, scoring the touchdown that gave Ole Miss the lead and the win. He finished with 8 receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown.
TRE HARRIS FOR THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/9qqrA3tBUR
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 1, 2023
Challenging the Defense
While Coach Kiffin was obviously pleased with his offense’s play against LSU, he knows the defense will have to rise to the challenge much like the offense did after the game against the Tide.
“I just told (the offense going into LSU week) ‘Hey, we’ve got to practice hard and clean up the little details, because that was a really embarrassing performance in Tuscaloosa. I’m not saying that’s why the offense (against LSU) worked, but they responded this week. This week, today, we have to make sure the defense (against LSU) was an outlier, because we’ve played good scoring defense this year before last week.”
Lane Kiffin
Facing the Razorbacks
Ole Miss now hosts a Sam Pittman-coached Razorbacks team that has lost three straight but still presents a huge defensive test with quarterback KJ Jefferson and a healthy running back, Rocket Sanders, in the lineup.
KJ Jefferson to WR Andrew Armstrong for a TD. pic.twitter.com/zLnRouNWm4
— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhiferNFL) September 30, 2023
Coach Kiffin was asked what the Rebels need to do to beat Arkansas. “On defense, stop the run, limit the explosive pass plays,” he explained. “On offense, make the first first down and get going tempo and be balanced run and pass.”
Rocket Sanders is a cheat code pic.twitter.com/uwgYIhDNjN
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) September 30, 2023
After setting a school attendance record last Saturday in the thrilling win, Kiffin is hoping for more of the same against the Hogs.
“We’re excited to play at home again,” Kiffin said. “Had an electric crowd this past Saturday. The game is at night again, and this is a really challenging opponent. Coach Pittman does a great job motivating them, especially for us. We’ve really struggled with them. They really kicked our butts last year, especially defensively. We have a lot to work on and work to do this week. We’re playing a tough, physical team.”
Game info
Ole Miss hosts Arkansas Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on the SEC Network.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
