Lane Kiffin Weekly Press Conference
Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin met with the media Monday via Zoom to recap the team’s win over Mississippi State in the Battle for the Golden Egg and take a look ahead at the upcoming open week. A transcript can be found below.
Opening Statement….
“Really good win, getting us 1-0 in this rivalry. I think with me, win or lose games sink in a little more Sunday and Monday because you’re so into the game at the time. I think that kind of brought to light how big it was. Even going out with my family around town and everybody coming up and just a reminder of what a big win that was for the school, for the town, for the players, fans, everybody. Good to be on the winning side and our goal obviously is to dominate this matchup and never lose.”
On the confidence level playing the last two games…
“I hadn’t thought about it that way because it’s out of my control. I’m assuming we are playing, but I don’t really think that way since I can’t control it. We’ll prepare as if we’re playing.”
On preparing over the next two weeks…
“I assume we’ll do this week what we did two weeks ago when we had the same setup. We’ll probably still do something with them Saturday, so they’re around here. Game simulation type thing, so we can stay on track as if we are playing. It does give us some time. Things like Otis Reese, it will be great for him to have another week of practice, having been on service team all along. We’ll always look on things we can do better, and maybe a different player somewhere. We’ve always got to be prepared for COVID and continue to work guys different places. We just got hit with a few of them yesterday, so always got to have plans in place for that. As you guys know, you have no idea what’s going to happen.”
On defensive improvements against MSU…
“We did, played a lot better obviously. Now a completely different team that basically doesn’t run the ball versus giving up whatever 350 yards rushing, whatever it was. Just a different challenge, but we got some big stops at big times in the game.”
On COVID-19 positives…
“It is manageable. My fear always when you get a few, then it starts trickling. Who were they around and even if they’re not roommates. I really like obviously when it’s zero like it was last week.”
On calling the Braylon Sanders touchdown…
“I’ll take credit for whoever said that, it’s not what happened. I actually said here’s a touchdown one earlier that was not a touchdown. We’ll go with it, sure. I doubt very much on third and whatever it was, 18, that I was calling that with the deep safety that was playing back there.”
On filling up the signing class in the early period…
“I do not. We actually have a meeting this afternoon to discuss that. Utilizing some of this extra time. I do not. I think it’s going to be a crazy offseason. What are our guys going to do, some guys go senior day, some didn’t go senior day. I don’t know if that list was out there, but we gave it up to them. Who’s coming back? We don’t know that even, because some of those guys are in between.”
On Matt Corral’s potential return to Ole Miss…
“I said that this morning too in our meeting. Just because he said that early on and he’s a sophomore, we’re going to have to sit down and talk with him to see where he’s at because it only takes one person to influence somebody. You see these things all the time where a kid thinks he’s coming back and someone gives him some information about where they think he will go in the draft and kids leave.”
On COVID-19 policy…
“Whatever our message has been has worked. We haven’t changed it. Just continue to remind them all the time that its part of their job just like it is to weight-lift, to watch film, to protect yourself.”
On Corral’s touchdown pass to Sanders being his best of the season…
“It’s got to be up there. I thought that right at the time, this is like a John Elway type of throw. It felt like it was like 70 yards. He couldn’t have put it any better. And to throw it that early as he did, really was a first-round throw.”
On Otis Reese’s performance…
“I thought he brought some energy out there you could feel that during the game, he did well especially just knowing a week ago he was on service team. I think he’s going to get better every week too.”
On the defensive system…
“I think we played better. But, we’ve got to continue to improve. We’re one game away from the game before not playing well until the last couple drives. It’s just a constant thing, and guys continue to get better. And hopefully Otis (Reese) helps too, and we stay healthy.
On Luke Logan’s Egg Bowl performance…
“When we’ve had the competition, we felt like he was winning and put us in the best position to win. And that was a huge kick to go to two scores that late, five-six minutes, was really, really big.”
