Lane Kiffin: 'We love the Mannings'

Saturday’s game against the LSU Tigers was deemed Eli Manning day for the Ole Miss Rebels. The day was filled with multiple spectacles to celebrate the former Ole Miss legend, culminating in the retirement of his jersey number, 10. 

After successfully upending LSU to cap the day, Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin expressed his affection for Eli Manning and the Manning family. 

“It was awesome to have him on the walk and, I joked with him that I would wear his jersey for the walk, like a superfan. I felt like I was going to a Giants game, on the bus going to the game,” said Kiffin. “It’s awesome I’ve been around him but not that much. Just to be around him today and see how humble he is.”

Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was all about the Manning family. Ole Miss legend Eli Manning joined his father Archie and Chucky Mullins as in the Rebels ring of Honor. With his No. 10 jersey retired Saturday afternoon, the number will no longer be in circulation in Oxford.

Kiffin is a loving man

“I called him this week and asked him about what jerseys (we should wear), or if he would like to pick our jerseys. And he was like ‘no, no, let the players. I want whatever the players want.’ Again so — that’s rare to have a great player like that to be that humble and just wanting to help others that was awesome to see. It was a really cool day for him. The end zones were awesome. You know we just love the Mannings,” said Kiffin in closing. 

In 2003, Manning settled in for his senior and arguably best season at Ole Miss. The year started off shaky as the Rebels alternated wins and losses in their first four games. But they righted the ship after that, winning seven of their last eight games en route to Dallas. They beat three ranked teams that season, including No. 3 LSU in late November. The Rebels topped Oklahoma State 31-28 in the Cotton Bowl to finish 10-3, their first 10-win season since 1971. 

Manning finished his career at Ole Miss with 10,119 passing yards, 86 total touchdowns, and 35 interceptions in 43 games. He won the Maxwell Award and was first-team All-SEC and SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2003. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy race that season and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.