Lane Kiffin on Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference | Rebels’ coach talks about Arkansas game, fines for rushing the field
OXFORD, Miss. — As Ole Miss is preparing this week to travel to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas, Rebels’ head coach Lane Kiffin talked with media on the SEC Weekly Coaches Teleconference Wednesday. He was asked about the Razorbacks’ defense, Pooh Paul’s contribution to the Ole Miss defense, and fines for a home team that storms the field after a win.
Coach Kiffin began by talking about the upcoming game against the Hogs.
“We’re excited about this matchup and going down there. Really, really well-coached team. Sign of a great coach that had adversity last year and hot seat and all that and they stayed with him and it’s paying off…They’re explosive on offense and playing great defense. Outside of one game, could be undefeated this year.”
The times have not been kind for Ole Miss in Fayetteville, and that goes for Kiffin’s term as head coach, too. He is winless there at the helm of the Rebels, but is 2-0 in Oxford against the Hogs. (Click here for a series snapshot.)
In 2020, in Coach Kiffin’s first year as head coach for Ole Miss, the Rebs traveled to Fayetteville and suffered a 33-21 loss in a game that saw Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks drop eight in coverage which led to Matt Corral getting picked off six times, three of which came at the hands of DB Hudson Clark — who is still on the roster for Arkansas.
Coach Kiffin was asked Wednesday about Clark’s performance in that game — and he began by lamenting that Clark is still playing before going on to compliment the athlete’s play.
“I would’ve thought at the beginning of the year that he was done, but he’s still around,” Kiffin began.
“He’s a really unique player that can play so many different spots. He tackles so well, covers really well. He’s the whole package. I would think the way he plays that he’s a great culture-leader guy also.”
Lane Kiffin on Hudson Carter
In this year’s game, Chris “Pooh” Paul, Jr. will be on an opposite side of the field as the linebacker transferred to the Rebels after leaving Arkansas. Paul, Jr, currently leads Ole Miss with 59 total tackles. He is also the No. 2 linebacker in the nation, according to PFF, with only 2 missed tackles in 407 attempts.
Coach Kiffin was asked about Paul Jr.’s play and what he means to the team.
“He’s awesome. He’s such a cool kid, an old-school player. Love the way he practices and how much he cares. I remember we had a short field in LSU and held them to a field goal and he’s yelling that was not good enough and that they shouldn’t have scored at all. Unfortunately, that’s rare nowadays…Players have changed, due to a number of factors, including money and how much they love the game.”
Lane Kiffin on Pooh Paul, Jr.
Kiffin was asked what he thinks of the 2024 version of the Arkansas defense, a unit that is currently 11th in the SEC in total defense, giving up an average of 384.4 yards per game in league action.
“They do a really good job of knowing what they do. They don’t do a million things, but they do them really well. They’re coached really, really well. Their whole staff has done a great job.”
Lane Kiffin on the Hogs’ defense
Rushing the field
When LSU rushed the field after defeating Ole Miss in overtime two weeks ago, the Tigers were fined $250,000 — monies to be given to the Rebels — for LSU’s second such offense within the calendar year. For the first offense, a school is charged $100,000 and a third offense will cost them $500,000. Coach Kiffin was asked his thoughts on the fines resulting from the October 12 game.
He explained he wasn’t aware the fines are paid to the visiting team, but he did offer his thoughts on the Tigers rushing the field after the Rebels’ heartbreaking loss.
“I didn’t know that. Thanks for sharing that…As it was happening, I was obviously upset about the loss, a game we should have one in so many ways, and then I did have a moment when they were rushing the field…saying ‘you know, at least we’ve changed the Ole Miss program from when we got here that LSU in Tiger Stadium rushes the field beating Ole Miss.’“
Lane Kiffin on LSU rushing the field
Game info
Ole Miss and Arkansas will kick off at 11:00 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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.
