TRANSCRIPT: What Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, Jaxson Dart, Trey Washington and Caden Prieskorn said after the win over ULM

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss defeated ULM, 35-3, Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway. After the win, head coach Lane Kiffin, quarterback Jaxson Dart, safety Trey Washington, and tight end Caden Prieskorn met with media.

Here’s what they had to say.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin

Opening Statement…
“Glad our guys finished the season undefeated at home. Really neat. A lot of special moments throughout the year here. Glad that we finished off with a win, that’s the bottom line to get done. Obviously, not pleased with the first half, offensively. Very surprised that we came out like that. We played flat and got penalties. Had a drop for the touchdown. I’m pleased they responded in the third quarter to kinda pull away in the game.

“(It’s a) short week, have to go to work today after this. Need to work to get this trophy back. We screwed it up last year, so now we have a short week to get ready for that. We came out of this pretty healthy today which was a big goal. Maybe the second after winning was to be healthy. Especially after last year, getting beat up and playing over 90 plays on offense a year ago before this game. Good win.”

On first half offense…
“We were moving the ball then got a penalty but didn’t finish it. Just trying to create some momentum, maybe went for it on fourth down when you maybe wouldn’t have. I just think we didn’t finish the drives or put ourselves in a bad situation with more holding penalties.”

On another undefeated season at home…
“Says a lot about these kids and where it’s come. The last 23 games (we’re) 21-2. The fact you can go that long and remember the games you lost. Not scoring in the Alabama game. Our guys have played really well here. They have either won or had the ball at the end to tie or win.”

On the conversation during the half…
“(We) really challenged them like they are going out to an SEC game. They have a half here to come out with some great intensity. Try to bring your own energy. They aren’t going to get it in other places. To create it.”

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart

On the difference of the offense in the first and second half…
“(The first half) was very frustrating, especially because it is senior night, and you want to play good for them. A lot of guys spoke up in the locker room at halftime, which got people focused. (In the first half) we were moving the ball very good, but weren’t finishing plays. I was super happy about how we were able to close it out in the second half.”

On the importance of scoring TDs on three consecutive possessions in the 3rd…
“We weren’t playing good at all, so we were focused on making sure that we played better. I thought it was huge to get guys who don’t play as much, the seniors, and people who are the majority on scout team to get in.”

On the difficulty to bring your own energy to a game like this one…
“We took a different perspective to it. It didn’t matter how packed the stands were or how many people were watching, you’re having the time of your life playing others. We put in so much work during the off-season, so there’s no reason not to have a lot of juice going into a game because you only have so many opportunities.”

On the importance of the Egg Bowl…
“We have to be ten toes down and be where our feet are. We have to make sure that we don’t get too high or too low. It’s funny because when you go out to the square or out of town, people tell you, ‘We don’t care if you don’t win any other game. We just care that you win the Egg Bowl.’ We understand the importance of it, and we are excited to go to Starkville and compete.”

On the team’s abilities going into the Egg Bowl…
“I’m super confident. I feel like we’ve been through a lot this year and have been able to bounce back from adverse situations. I have no doubt in our guys and our preparations for this week.”

Ole Miss tight end Caden Prieskorn

On his role on offense today…
“Whatever they asked me to do, whether it was blocking, catching or really just doing my job as a whole and going out there and competing.”

On finally getting in the endzone this season…
“It felt good, but ultimately, the win is all that matters.”

On offense not finishing drives in the first two quarters…
“I feel like as a whole offense, we weren’t blocking enough, and we need to do better than that. All around just making plays, but we had trouble today not finishing drives, and we need to get to practice and get better at that for next week.”

On if it is difficult to get motivated for a non-conference game in between two SEC matchups…
“Coming from me, no. I love the game of football so much, and you don’t get that many opportunities to go out and play the game you love. I was ready, but we need to come as a whole team ready.”

On conversations had in the locker room at halftime to prepare for the next half…
“We got together in the locker room as a whole offense, and Dart brought us along and got us going, so we came out in the third quarter rolling.”

On the short week of preparation for the Egg Bowl…
“We will start practicing tomorrow with a walk-through. Short week, short turnaround for Thursday, so we definitely need to speed up the process.”

Ole Miss safety Trey Washington

On the turnaround of the team over the years…
“Since I have gotten here, it is all about building legacy. This team and the first team I had when I came here was at the forefront. So it was cool to see that come to fruition this season.”

On the success of the team…
“Coach Kiffin brought an energy to Oxford and it is epic. You can see it in the stadium, and I think you can see that we feed off of that every home game.”

On the similarity between Iron and Egg Bowl and intensity…
“Yeah, it is very similar to the Iron Bowl, especially since it is on Thanksgiving and primetime. Probably more than the Iron Bowl since that is on Saturday with the rest of the games. We look to represent Mississippi well.”

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.