TRANSCRIPT: Everything Lane Kiffin said ahead of Rebels’ SEC clash against Georgia

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin met with media for his Monday press conference and, among other things, talked about the upcoming game against Georgia, the Rebel quarterbacks, and what makes Kirby Smart such a great coach.

Here’s everything Coach Kiffin said:

Lane Kiffin’s opening statement

Alright, exciting opportunity this week. Go play at Georgia. I think our players and staff are really excited about that. Anytime you get a chance to play the premier program in college football over the last five years, I think since COVID, they’ve got the winningest record in football and especially dominance in the regular season. I think in what, five years they’ve only lost in the regular season to Alabama and then our game here last year. So, it’s very challenging team to always play, especially there. And so we’re going have to have a great week of preparation and prepare to go on the road in a very tough environment with elite players and in a phenomenal coaching staff led by Kirby (Smart) and what he’s been able to do. I said it yesterday in the call when asked, he finds a way to win a lot of games, um, in a lot of different styles and overcome a lot of adversity in games to keep his team together. And, you know, that’s why he’s the best coach in college football now.

Question: Lane, looking at the team defensively, specifically from a sack standpoint, Suntarine Perkins has no sacks. Just your overall thoughts at midway point of the season defensively.

Lane: Yeah that’s nothing to do with him. That’s a schematical thing about how we’ve played him differently. And we’ve played teams differently than a year ago. We’re a much different defense. And so we play a different scheme. And so he doesn’t have the rush opportunities like he used to. But he’s doing a great job and some different things that I think will also help him at the next level also.

Question: Just obviously first big away test for Trinidad. I mean, just kind of your thoughts on his going into an SEC opponent stadium like that?

Lane: Yeah, I think the first test really like that for both quarterbacks. We had the Kentucky (game), but this is another level, especially with GameDay being there and how the crowd will be. So, you have to block out the noise and really stay focused on what we have to do, which is play really well, take care of the ball better than we did a week ago and let players make plays by you doing your job and not trying to do too much when you get in those environments.

Question: Georgia seemed to come on late in games this year. How do you prepare your team to just continue to bear down throughout the entirety of the game, and not just play one half?

Lane: Yeah, I think Kirby’s done that for a while with his teams. You know, even if you go back to Alabama last year, how that game started and their comeback. And so, I think that you know, he just does a really good job, of even as you watch him coach on the sidelines, you can’t really tell what the score is. Because he’s so into it and his teams play that way. And he overcame the adversity of playing in one of the hardest places to play in Auburn just last Saturday. And so they do a really, really good job of not panicking.

Question: You mentioned both quarterbacks. How has Austin been doing emotionally and then however much you can say physically over these last last, I think it was a week since we asked you.

Lane: Yeah, he’s really pushing through. I commend him a lot for that, really working hard, trying to get back to 100%. And I know he’s ready to go, you know, if we go with him and I think he’ll continue to improve throughout the week.

Question: What, if anything, have you kind of remembered about the 2023 game at Georgia and how how is that maybe helping you prepare for this week in terms of already being there for a couple years ago and already seeing that atmosphere? What, if anything, are you taking away from that game a few years ago to take in this week?

Lane: Yeah, I thought we started okay in that game, offensively. And were hanging in there for a little bit. And then they took over and really outplayed us, obviously, in that game a lot. We felt outmanned in the line of scrimmages, which I talked about immediately after. And so we kind of rebuilt that next year’s roster, especially defensively to try to try to change that. But every year is different. Just like last year, you know, we were able to win and it was a much different game, really kind of that Georgia thing about always finding a way to come back is why in that game, even when we were up late, a couple scores never felt safe. Just because Georgia has done such a great job of doing that. But every year are different teams. You know, this is supposed to be a rebuilding year for us. We lost 20 of the 22 starters, so I’m pleased that our guys have put us in a place to be in a game like this and remain undefeated.

Question: Kind of like the last couple Georgia games. Is this another trenches game?

Lane: I don’t know. They’re hard to predict. Sometimes, even as the head coach, you think a game is going to go a certain way and they don’t. So, that’s too hard to predict, but certainly that will be a factor always when you play any game, let alone Georgia, that you’re going to have to do a good job with the line of scrimmages just because they play so physical and they have such great length, you know, they get the best players in the country. And Kirby, like Coach Saban, recruits you know size and speed. And it’s always really obvious with them especially in warm ups when you’re out there.

Question: Georgia has a different quarterback than you’ve seen the last couple of years. What sort of challenges does Stockton present?

Lane: Savvy. You know, he makes a lot of plays, keeps plays alive. And they’ve done a really good job with him. You know, of winning certain situations and not making bad errors to put them in bad situations. So, they’re a really complete team.

Question: Off the wall question, you and Kirby two, most probably some of the more demonstrative coaches on the field, who do you think burns more calories in a game, you or him?

Lane: I don’t know. That’s a good question. I walked by the TV and saw his press conference today, so it doesn’t look like he’s burned too many calories. But he does have a lot of energy in the games, and he coaches really passionate and I’ve given him heat before about the weight loss part. He says he’s too stressed to work out.

Question: The two of you have been at your places for, I don’t know, maybe the two longest, Stoops, I guess is in that mix as well? What does that say for the the programs that you’ve built? Both of you?

Lane: I mean, he’s (Kirby) has done a lot longer. What, it’s probably 11 now, and done a great job. Remember when he went there, I was at Alabama when he took the job, you know, and had the first year not playing as well as they’d like. And, he kind of redid their offense and then has never kind of looked back since and really became the new Alabama and kind of built it the exact same way. And people talk about people leaving Coach Saban and like, you know what do they take? I think Kirby basically is Coach Saban, you know, in almost every area, how he is, how he coaches everything, how he models his team, and it’s worked — basically have repeated the program and the success really against everybody but Alabama.