Lane Kiffin Looks Back at Ole Miss’ 38-25 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Win over No.10 Penn State
ATLANTA – No. 11 Ole Miss football ended the 2023 season with a 38-25 victory over No. 10 Penn State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Head coach Lane Kiffin met with the media after the game and discussed what the win means to him and the Rebel program.
“First off, that’s a credit to Penn State for a big-time opponent and very well-coached and very classy program that I have a lot of respect for,” Kiffin said.
“I’m very excited about how our players showed up today. To come in here and have a chance to do something that’s never been done before in the history of the school, to win 11 games against a big-time program, big-time opponent, just really proud of how they did.”
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin
The win over Penn State gives Ole Miss its first-ever 11-win season in program history.
“It’s one thing to win some games — if you win a game in the last second, a field goal goes in or it doesn’t, that’s one thing, but to play a game and in a lot of the phases of the game, these guys played extremely well,” Kiffin said. “Kind of dominated certain phases of the game against — I know they were a little short with opt-outs, but the No. 1 defense in the country.”
He thanked the Chick-fil-A staff and indicated the best is yet to come for Ole Miss.
“What an awesome bowl and week and Gary and the whole staff here putting together an amazing week for us, and that was awesome,” Kiffin said. “But we really are. We’re just getting started on something really special and a run here.”
“We are just getting started….” Lane Kiffin pic.twitter.com/uJpg5u7RxQ
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) December 30, 2023
Ole Miss played a clean game against the Nittany Lions on Saturday, something that helped the team emerge with a win.
“So, really pleased with our players to play a really clean, kind of penalty-free,” Kiffin said. “Did a good job in situations, the 3-for-3 on fourth downs, those are very critical plays in the game.”
Kiffin arrived in Oxford in 2019 and told fans that the program would win big games and look to play for championships.
“Really, really happy that four years ago I got this opportunity to come here and for the Chancellor and Keith (Carter) to give me that opportunity to put the staff and players together. It’s been a really cool journey and one I’m really grateful for. I said that when I got hired, we didn’t come here to be good and win some decent bowl games and some matches. We came here to be great, win New Year’s Six bowls like this, be a top ten program.”
Lane Kiffin
The Rebels now look ahead to the 2024 season with so many players returning to the lineup and acquisitions out of the portal and will look to make a run to the 12-team playoff.
“I just thought it was obviously extremely important to cap this thing off right because I felt like the last couple weeks so much focus was on next year.
Kiffin looked back on how last season ended, praising how his players and staff responded.
“One year ago where we were, and having the memory of a really poor locker room feeling. Whatever that was, I think we’d lost four or five or something like that. Just went back to work and kept trying to add players, trying to grow as coaches, made some difficult changes, and it paid off this year, players and coaches. So really proud of those guys.“
Coach Lane Kiffin
Adam Brown
Adam Brown joins The Rebel Walk as the Managing Editor after being on the Ole Miss beat as a Sports Editor for over 11 years. He is a lifelong Oxford resident. Brown graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Prior to The Rebel Walk, Brown was the sports editor of HottyToddy.com covering every Ole Miss sport and local high school sports in the community.
