Lane Kiffin reveals whether he’s made up his mind on his future following dominant Egg Bowl win for Ole Miss Rebels

The Ole Miss Rebels absolutely dominated the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Friday in yet another Egg Bowl victory for Lane Kiffin and company. The final score was 38-19, but that makes it sound a lot closer than it actually was.Still, the Lane Kiffin decision still looms large, overshadowing the Ole Miss Rebels’ best season in […]

Travis May — College Football Managing Editor
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The Ole Miss Rebels absolutely dominated the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Friday in yet another Egg Bowl victory for Lane Kiffin and company. The final score was 38-19, but that makes it sound a lot closer than it actually was.

Still, the Lane Kiffin decision still looms large, overshadowing the Ole Miss Rebels’ best season in program history. Unbelievably, when asked about whether he’s made up his mind, Kiffin revealed that he still hasn’t (more on that shortly), but first we have to acknowledge the splattering that was the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss players certainly proved that they belong in the College Football Playoff no matter what happens with Kiffin.

Ole Miss dominates Mississippi State in Egg Bowl

  • Ole Miss gained 100+ more yards of offense than Mississippi State in the 38-19 victory on Friday
  • The Rebels averaged nearly double the yards per pass attempt (10.6 to 5.7) throughout the entire Egg Bowl
  • Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss racked up 359 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air
  • Kewan Lacy tallied over 150 yards from scrimmage and four wide receivers had at least 66 receiving yards

Ole Miss Rebels proves they belong in College Football Playoff yet again

There may have been some debate as to whether the Ole Miss Rebels were going to make it into the College Football Playoff, let alone earn a home game or first round bye, prior to Friday. All those doubts were put to rest as Ole Miss completely destroyed Mississippi State on Saturday, earning their 11th win on the season. The Rebels are now 11-1 on the year, 7-1 in SEC play, and should almost certainly host a home game after yet another dominant performance. When asked about his 50th victory in five seasons with Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin couldn’t stop praising the phenomenal work and growth from his players and staff:

“It’s an unbelievable job by these players. We only returned two starters from last year. We were picked ninth or something in the conference. For these guys to overcome adversity throughout the year — play really well. They played a great second half today. I’m just really happy for our fans, for our players. And you know, all the stuff they dealt with all week, from outside people, saying they were distracted and all the noise. This is what these guys do. They’ve been dealing with it for a long time. I think [all the noise] actually brings them all together and they play like [they did today] because all the stuff outside…If you get to 11 wins — if you do something that’s never been done before in the entire state, getting to 11 regular season wins. I think it’s three Egg Bowls in a row, first time in over 20 years for Ole Miss. It’s really remarkable what these players and assistant coaches were able to do this season.”

It really is amazing to see what Ole Miss has been able to do this season with a completely new set of starters at almost every single position. The defense has grown together, finally looking like a top unit down the stretch — giving up just 16.6 points per game in their final five contests. The offense looked unstoppable for much of the year with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at the helm. Then a record-breaking performance from running back Kewan Lacy this season helped complete a team that was already good — his play made them great (as you can see an example of on his touchdown run from the Egg Bowl below).

The wide receivers (almost all entirely new as well) grew throughout the season, and their development was on full display in the win over Mississippi State. Harrison Wallace, Deuce Alexander, De’Zhaun Stribling, and Cayden Lee all racked up at least 66 receiving yards in the Egg Bowl alone. All four eclipsed 500 receiving yards on the season. Tight end Dae’Quan Wright just barely missed that mark himself too.

Deuce Alexander’s 88-yard touchdown (in post below) against Missisippi State just hammered home the impressive edge that the Ole Miss passing attack has had all season long. If Ole Miss keeps playing like they have late this fall then the Rebels are going to be a tough out in the College Football Playoff.

Lane Kiffin still unsure on his head coaching future after Egg Bowl win

The question is, will Lane Kiffin be there with the Ole Miss Rebels in the playoff? As of this writing they can still make it to the SEC Championship Game, they’re likely set to host a playoff game, and the Rebels could seriously win the championship. That one question has dominated the headlines for well over a month now. Still, Lane Kiffin seems like he doesn’t have the answer himself. He was asked directly about whether he had made up his mind immediately following the game and this was his answer:

“No, I haven’t. I’ve got a lot of praying to do to figure that out tomorrow, but right now I’m just going to enjoy these players. I told them last night, you’re going to win your 11th game, and all I want to do is experience joy watching you, and that’s what I’m about to do.”

Ole Miss Rebels fans are still left waiting. Per athletic director Keith Carter’s original statement, an announcement on Lane Kiffin’s future is still expected Saturday. Hopefully Kiffin just stays. he’s built the Ole Miss college football program into one of the best in the nation. Abandoning these players now in the midst of their greatest season ever would be perhaps the single most selfish, ridiculous decision any head coach has ever made in the history of the game.

We’ll be back with more Ole Miss Rebels coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

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