Ole Miss Football

Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin referenced Alabama's success in the NCAA transfer portal as one of the reasons the Crimson Tide have such a historically talented program.

"Now they go to cherry-pick players for any holes they may have like an Ohio State receiver [Jameson Williams] or a Tennessee linebacker [Henry To'o To'o]," Kiffin said, per ESPN's Alex Scarborough.

"So now, it's like not only do they get the best draft picks but they get to go into free agency and take players, so it really is going to set up one of the most talented teams ever, which is what we're getting ready to play."

The two players Kiffin referenced are making a big impact with the No. 1 Crimson Tide. Williams leads the team with 218 receiving yards. To'o To'o is No. 1 with 22 tackles.

Alabama's transfer portal success is in addition to its yearly wins on the recruiting trail. Per 247Sports, Alabama had the No. 1 class in 2019 and 2021 and the No. 2 class in 2020.

The Crimson Tide went 13-0 en route to a national championship last year and started this season with a 3-0 record capped by a 31-29 win at No. 11 Florida.

That's in addition to the team's resounding dominance under head coach Nick Saban over the past 15 years. The Crimson Tide have won six national titles with him at the helm.

Kiffin was there for three of them (2014-2016) as offensive coordinator, winning one championship in 2015.

He clearly has plenty of respect for the program based on his remarks to reporters Wednesday.

As we know, they have a great team, great players. I wish the media would stop upsetting Coach Saban by saying this is a weak team or has weaknesses. I mean, they went on the road into a top-10 team, into the Swamp and won with a freshman quarterback. Got an early lead and hung on at the end and now all of a sudden it's not a good team and they have weaknesses and they can't stop people, so it doesn't really help us a lot being around there knowing how that place works.

Alabama will host Southern Miss on Saturday before welcoming Kiffin's Rebels into Tuscaloosa on Sat., Oct. 2. The No. 13 Rebels have averaged 52.7 points per game en route to a 3-0 start.

Led by Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Corral, Ole Miss could give the Crimson Tide a stiff challenge at Bryant-Denny Stadium. That's the next game for the Rebels, who have a bye week before traveling to Alabama.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin announced Saturday he's tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the Rebels' season-opening game Monday against Louisville.

🙏🏻 @OleMissFB pic.twitter.com/aQIznjVGNi

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) September 4, 2021

The program hasn't announced who will serve as interim coach for the Cardinals matchup, which will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Kiffin announced in early August that Ole Miss reached a 100 percent COVID-19 vaccination rate among its players and staff.

The Rebels' second-year coach explained on MSNBC's Morning Joe (via Jacob Gallant of WTVY) it was a player-led effort to maximize their chances of staying available for the 2021 season.

"At the end of the day, the leaders on the team, the players, bringing everyone together to show them how important that was," Kiffin said. "... It got to a point where, are we going to let other players potentially be out, be at school, be at dinner and bring this virus in a few days before a game?"

It represents a major competitive advantage, as SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in July teams that crossed an 85 percent vaccination threshold wouldn't face as stringent COVID-19 protocols, giving them less chance to find themselves in a situation where positive tests would lead to a forfeit.

Ole Miss is looking to take a step forward in 2021 after posting a 5-5 record in Kiffin's first season, including a win over Indiana in the Outback Bowl.

The Rebels were ranked No. 25 in the preseason Coaches Poll and finished 27th in voting for the Associated Press poll.

Ole Miss has a short turnaround after Monday's clash with Louisville, as its back in action next Saturday when it welcomes Austin Peay to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

If Kiffin isn't cleared in time for the home opener, his next chance to return would come Sept. 18 when the Rebels host Tulane.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown is all-in on Elijah Moore being the brightest star in the 2021 rookie class. 

Appearing on the Raw Room podcast, Brown said he will "bet all my game checks" on the New York Jets wideout winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. 

I’ll Bet my all my game checks on @e_moore03 winning ROY! I’ll live and die with my brother! https://t.co/sbYwYAEmNc

— AJ BROWN (@1kalwaysopen_) August 11, 2021

The bet means Brown would be willing to wager his entire 2021 base salary of $1.009 million. 

Brown does have some bias in this prediction, as he was teammates with Moore for one season at the University of Mississippi in 2018. Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf was also on that team. 

Brown's confidence in Moore isn't totally unwarranted. The 21-year-old has earned rave reviews for his performance in training camp.

Connor Hughes of The Athletic wrote on Monday that "no Jets receiver has dominated daily like Moore" and the "team believes it has a star on its hands."

If the second-round pick ends up being Zach Wilson's favorite target right out of the gate, Moore could be the first Jets player to win an NFL Rookie of the Year since Sheldon Richardson took home the defensive award in 2013. 

The Jets have never had an offensive player win the NFL Rookie of the Year award since its inception in 1967. 

The "best shape of my life" trope usually applies to players as they're approaching a new season. Count Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin among the exceptions.

Kiffin told ESPN's Chris Low he has lost more than 30 pounds since the end of the 2020 season, describing himself at that point like "an anaconda that had swallowed a deer and the deer got stuck in its neck."

He explained how he wanted to set an example for his players when emphasizing the need for staying in shape.

"That goes for all of us, starting with me," Kiffin said. "Here I am in postseason meetings back in January telling my offensive linemen and other guys that they needed to eat better, lose weight, get in better shape, and I looked like a whale."

According to Low, Kiffin followed a "strict diet" while getting into Pilates, yoga and running. As a result, he's tipping the scales at around 210 pounds, down from 245.

His weight loss falls under the Rebels' larger pursuit of increased accountability in Kiffin's second year in charge, which was recently exemplified by the 100 percent COVID-19 vaccination rate within the Ole Miss football program.

The team finished 5-5 and beat Indiana in the Outback Bowl in 2020. Matt Corral returns after throwing for 3,337 yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions and finishing with the team's second-most rushing yards (506). The Rebels do, however, have to replace leading receiver Elijah Moore, a second-round pick of the New York Jets in the 2021 NFL draft.

Kiffin's squad will be put to the test somewhat early in the season with a road trip against Alabama on tap for Oct. 2.

Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin said Sunday that 100 percent of the players, coaches and staff members in the program have received COVID-19 vaccinations.

"Nobody wants to be in a position to forfeit games," Kiffin said, per Chris Low of ESPN.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey encouraged everyone to get vaccinated when speaking at media days in July, noting that games could be forfeited if teams didn't have full rosters.

"You're expected to play as scheduled," Sankey said. "That means your team needs to be healthy to compete, and if not, that game won't be rescheduled. And thus, to dispose of the game, the 'forfeit' word comes up at this point."

Teams with more than 85 percent of players vaccinated will also see less rigorous testing for COVID-19.

The vaccination success for Ole Miss comes amid limited buy-in from the rest of the public in the area. According to the Mayo Clinic, only 41.6 percent of people in Mississippi have received one dose, the lowest rate in the United States.

"It's pretty amazing and great motivation for our fans and the state," Kiffin said.

Mississippi head football coach Lane Kiffin spoke out in support of the College Football Playoff potentially expanding the field to include 12 teams. 

Speaking to reporters about the possibility of adding more teams to the playoff field, Kiffin called it "great" because "it's more opportunities" for programs around the country:

"Like everything there are other issues with timeframes and stuff like that. But I do think it's good. Like basketball, what if you only had the one seeds in basketball? There'd be a lot of people that never won the championship that would've won the championship and vice versa."

Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported last week that a 12-team playoff format is "the most likely result" that will come out of a process that will officially start on July 17 and 18 when a four-member working group presents an expansion findings report to the College Football Playoff management committee. 

After that presentation, Thamel noted the CFP board of managers will examine the findings "and likely determine the potential shape—although not the final details—of the playoff's future."

It's unclear how soon a new playoff format could be adopted if it receives approval because of a variety of factors, with Thamel calling discussions about a new television deal "critical."

The four-team College Football Playoff format has been in place since 2014. Alabama (three times), Clemson (twice), Ohio State and LSU have won the College Football Playoff Championship Game. 

Of the 28 total playoff spots over the past seven seasons, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma have accounted for 20 of them. Notre Dame is the only other program that has finished in the top four at least twice during that span. 

Under a potential 12-team format, there would be five automatic bids between the Power 5 conferences and one for the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The remaining six spots would be at-large bids. 

The four teams selected under the current format are all at-large bids determined by a 13-member College Football Playoff selection committee. 

Lane Kiffin's first season with the Mississippi Rebels ended on a high note thanks to their thrilling 26-20 victory over the 11th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers in the Outback Bowl on Saturday. 

Matt Corral engineered the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. His three-yard touchdown pass to Dontario Drummond provided the difference after Indiana tied the game by scoring 14 unanswered points. 

Ole Miss was given a postseason berth despite finishing the regular season fifth in the SEC West standings and with a 4-5 record. The team rebounded from a 1-4 start to win three straight games before a loss to LSU in the season finale on Dec. 19. 

Saturday's win marks the Rebels' first victory over a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since November 2017 (Mississippi State). 

Despite the loss, Indiana finished the season with its best winning percentage (.750) since 1967. Head coach Tom Allen, in his fourth full season with the program, has the Hoosiers headed in the right direction. 

           

Notable Game Stats

• Matt Corral, QB (Ole Miss): 30-of-44, 342 yards, 2 TD; 7 carries, 37 yards
• Henry Parrish Jr., RB (Ole Miss): 17 carries, 63 yards; 2 receptions, 19 yards
• Snoop Conner, RB (Ole Miss): 6 carries, 43 yards, TD; 2 receptions, 9 yards
• Dontario Drummond, WR (Ole Miss): 6 receptions, 110 yards, TD
• Jack Tuttle, QB (IU): 26-of-45, 201 yards, INT; 9 carries, 26 yards
• Stevie Scott III, RB (IU): 19 carries, 99 yards, 2 TD; 2 receptions, 34 yards
• Whop Philyor, WR (IU): 18 receptions, 81 yards

      

Rebels Ride Corral's Big Game to Victory

In his first season as Mississippi's full-time starting quarterback, Corral had his share of ups and downs. The sophomore threw for 2,995 yards with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions coming into the Outback Bowl. 

The two most encouraging signs for Corral developing into a star were his high touchdown total and a 71.3 completion percentage on 10.6 yards per attempt. 

Corral's last image from the regular season was a rough one, as he threw five interceptions against LSU in a 53-48 loss. He did a terrific job of redeeming himself Saturday with no turnovers. The California native also engineered two long touchdown drives that put the Rebels ahead by 14 early in the third quarter. 

The first touchdown drive went 76 yards in 18 plays over six minutes. It included two third-down conversions and two fourth-down conversions. Corral capped it off with a five-yard touchdown pass to Casey Kelly. 

Ole Miss fans can take delight in the following:

QB Matt Corral......sophomore
RB Henry Parrish...freshman
RB Snoop Conner..sophomore

— Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) January 2, 2021

Matt Corral's favorite first-half target? Casey Kelly.

@corral_matt ➡️ @caseykelly1211 pic.twitter.com/37jWKLLCcB

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) January 2, 2021

Snoop Connor is fun. Matt Corral is fun. Lane Kiffin is fun. #OleMiss is fun!

2021 season could be real fun for the Rebels. #OutbackBowl #SEC #HottyToddy #AllAboard🚂

— CHRIS TORELLO 𝕏 (@TorelloSports) January 2, 2021

On their first possession of the third quarter, the Rebels went 87 yards in 12 plays to take a 20-6 lead. Corral accounted for 36 of those yards, including a seven-yard run on 3rd-and-7 to keep the drive alive. 

Snoop Conner had the big play immediately after Corral's run when he went for 33 yards to set up a 1st-and-goal from Indiana's 4-yard line. He found the end zone on the next play. 

Some missed opportunities by the offense allowed Indiana to stay close. Luke Logan had one field-goal attempt blocked before halftime and missed a 38-yarder early in the fourth quarter. 

Indiana tied the game midway through the fourth quarter on Stevie Scott III's two-yard touchdown run. 

With the Rebels looking for a spark, Corral came to life by going 4-of-4 for 58 yards. Dontario Drummond caught the go-ahead touchdown with 4:12 remaining. Special teams failed the team once again, as Logan missed the extra point. 

Once the offense did its part, the defense had to get one final stop to secure the win. Indiana was able to drive into Rebels territory, but the drive stalled after Jack Tuttle's final attempt on 4th-and-18 was broken up when he was pressured by Quentin Bivens. 

This season was the first step on Kiffin's journey with the program. There are still plenty of areas for the Rebels to improve, especially if they want to compete with the SEC's heavy hitters, but this was a positive way to cap off his debut year. 

Hoosiers' Comeback Bid Falls Short

For three quarters, the Outback Bowl looked like it was going to be a disappointing end to the season for Indiana. 

The offense was expected to take a step back without quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who tore his ACL on Nov. 28 against Maryland. The defense did most of the heavy lifting in their 14-6 win over Wisconsin in the regular-season finale. 

Sophomore Jack Tuttle was making just his second career start against Mississippi. The offense had just 131 yards and three points in the first half. 

Indiana’s offense just brutal today. Lane Train looking good.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) January 2, 2021

The Ole Miss defense has forced during the first half against the Indiana offense:

Punt
Field goal
Punt
Interception

— Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) January 2, 2021

The Hoosiers finally found their stride in the fourth quarter. They had two separate 80-yard scoring drives to tie the game at 20. Tuttle had 89 of the team's 160 yards, leaving Stevie Scott III to do a lot of the work.

Scott scored both touchdowns and had 53 of his 99 rushing yards on those two late drives. 

My word, Stevie Scott putting the Hoosiers on his back.#Indiana ties it up at 20-all thanks to back-to-back rushing TDs from @Steviescott8_.

Under 6 minutes to play in the #OutbackBowl.

— Olivia Ray (@OliviaRayTV) January 2, 2021

Even though Indiana's comeback bid came up short, there's no way to describe this season as anything but a success for the program. 

The Hoosiers' only loss during the regular season was by seven points to an undefeated Ohio State team that's playing Alabama in the College Football Playoff Championship Game. 

Time will tell if Allen can get Indiana to compete with the Buckeyes on a yearly basis, but right now there's nothing stopping this program from hanging with second-tier Big Ten teams like Wisconsin, Penn State, Northwestern and Iowa in 2021. 

Ole Miss announced Saturday that it agreed to a new contract with head football coach Lane Kiffin.

Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter said:

"This is an investment in the future of Ole Miss Football. We hired Coach Kiffin with the hope of revitalizing our football program, and in just one short year, he has done just that. His innovative offensive approach has shattered SEC records, and with a top-20 recruiting class coming in, the future is bright under Coach Kiffin's leadership. We are committed to him and providing the resources necessary to elevate this program to greater heights."

In his first season as the Rebels' head coach in 2020, Kiffin posted a 4-5 record. He will look to end the campaign on a high note Saturday when Ole Miss faces Indiana in the Outback Bowl.

If Kiffin is able to lead Ole Miss past Indiana, it will mark the first time the school has posted a record of .500 or better since going 6-6 in 2017.

With regard to the new contract, Kiffin said: "I appreciate Keith's leadership and his commitment to building a winning football program. While I'm proud of what our team accomplished this season, we have higher aspirations for Ole Miss Football. This is just the start, and I look forward to continuing to build a championship program."

While 2020 wasn't necessarily a banner year for the Rebels, they seemed to take a step in the right direction, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

With Kiffin leading the way, the Rebels rank 12th in the nation in scoring with 40.7 points per game. Ole Miss also set the all-time SEC record for total yards per game in a single season with 562.4.

One area in which the Rebels will undoubtedly have to improve, however, is on defense, as they rank 122nd in the country with 40.3 points allowed per game.

Notably, Kiffin's offense gave the undefeated No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide a scare this season, as Bama held off Ole Miss 63-48.

Although this is Kiffin's first season as the head coach at Ole Miss, he has plenty of head coaching experience at the college level. He served as the head coach at Tennessee in 2009, USC from 2010-13 and Florida Atlantic from 2017-19.

In nine seasons as a collegiate head coach, Kiffin is 66-39 with five bowl appearances.

Kiffin also enjoyed a brief stint as an NFL head coach with the Oakland Raiders from 2007-08. Kiffin was fired just four games into his second season and finished 5-15 with the Raiders.

There is still plenty of work to be done before the Rebels can truly become a championship contender in the SEC, but based on the strides they made in 2020, they appear to be on the right track.

Mississippi head football coach Lane Kiffin offered a controversial take about the wave of SEC games being postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Kiffin hypothesized that "maybe some people don't want to play" and are adding injured players in with their positive coronavirus cases and close contacts. He noted that he was worried that the team's bye last week would result in positive tests this week.

"Somehow we tested Monday and Tuesday and somehow had all negatives which was great," he said. "I was very concerned with everybody gone for the whole weekend and not being around."

Other programs have not been as lucky, with multiple schools in the conference and across college football currently suffering from outbreaks within their programs.

As of Wednesday morning, Georgia vs. Missouri, Alabama vs. LSU, Texas A&M vs. Tennessee and Auburn vs. Mississippi State have all been postponed because of positive COVID-19 cases. 

SEC guidelines for this season require teams to have at least 53 scholarship players available, including one quarterback, seven offensive linemen and four defensive linemen. 

Coming out of the bye, Ole Miss is scheduled to host South Carolina at Vaught Hemingway Stadium on Saturday. 

The Rebels (2-4) are tied with Mississippi State for last place in the SEC West. 

Ole Miss tight end Damarcus Thomas is being released from the hospital after suffering a serious injury at practice Monday, assistant athletic director Pat Jernigan announced.

"Damarcus is doing well," Jernigan said in a statement. "All of his medical tests cam back normal, and he is being released from the hospital. Our physicians will be following up with him in the coming days for further evaluation."

Head coach Lane Kiffin originally said Thomas had been unresponsive but later told reporters the 18-year-old had some feeling and movement before he was airlifted to a hospital directly from the practice field.  

The university later updated Thomas' condition, saying he "has regained movement in all of his extremities and the physicians are optimistic."

Ole Miss freshman DaMarcus Thomas had to be airlifted to the hospital after sustaining a serious injury during practice.

Keep him in your thoughts and prayers 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZhjqpSu33W

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 2, 2020

Per David Johnson of 247Sports, Kiffin, who is divorced, "said he called his son's mom and told her he could care less if his son ever plays football again after seeing DaMarcus Thomas' injury at practice this morning."

Kiffin asked for prayers for Thomas on Monday afternoon:

Please pray @OleMissFB https://t.co/ulPMCnH3zm

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) November 2, 2020

"Obviously hopefully this is some severe stinger," Kiffin told reporters. "I did ask them, the medical staff. They said that that does happen sometimes. I'm just praying that that's somehow what it is."

When news of Thomas' release from the hospital broke, Kiffin sent along his best wishes via Twitter:

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 Prayers answered so happy for DaMarcus and his family! Keep praying for his recovery. Great job by Pat and all the people that helped care for him today @OleMissFB https://t.co/gyKUHZo0jg

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) November 3, 2020

Kiffin, who has been coaching 20 years, said he's never seen an injury like the one Thomas sustained. He immediately ended practice. 

"We're all just in shock," running back Jerrion Ealy added. "I can't really say too much about it because it's just shocking. It's one of those freak accidents that happens on a football field that you only hear about and you never see. It's kind of eye-opening."

Thomas is a freshman tight end who has played in five games this season, though he hasn't recorded any catches. The 6'1", 245-pound Thomas joined Ole Miss as a 3-star prospect out of Saraland, Alabama.