Lane Kiffin after Peach Bowl win: 'We're just getting started'

One of the more highly anticipated New Year’s Six bowl games, the Peach Bowl between the Ole Miss Rebels and Penn State Nittany Lions, lived up to expectations and then some. Both programs entered the game 10-2 and would have been in the field of 12 if the College Football Playoff expansion was this year. In the end, the SEC’s Rebels walked out of the Peach Bowl with a 38-25 victory over the Big Ten’s Nittany Lions.

Saturday’s victory for Ole Miss and their head coach, Lane Kiffin, helped expel some demons of the past. But what does the win say about the Rebels’ future? When asked about just that, following their Peach Bowl victory, Kiffin let it be known that the rest of the college football world should be on high alert going forward.

Well, I said it out there. I really do believe we’re just getting started,” said Kiffin. “I think that we’re doing something — we’re on our way to something really special. This is really neat winning a New Year’s Six bowl, and what an awesome bowl and week and Gary and the whole staff here putting together an amazing week for us, and that was awesome. But we really are. We’re just getting started on something really special and a run here.”

“I normally say that’s never been done before, but I guess we just did that, but to come back and do it even better and to continue to improve on what we’ve done so far.”

The Ole Miss offense continued their dominating trend in the Peach Bowl against Penn State. Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Quinshon Judkins gave the Nittany Lions fits as the duo combined for nearly 500 yards of total offense. Judkins finished the game with 34 carries for 106 yards. He also had one reception for 14 yards, which resulted in an Ole Miss touchdown. Dart completed 25-40 of his past attempts for 379 yards, with three touchdowns and no interception. The Rebels quarterback was also credited with eight carries for 14 yards and one rushing touchdown.

According to Kiffin, this win signals that the Ole Miss football program is coming. And if they continue to put together impressive performances, as they did in Saturday’s Peach Bowl matchup, not only will the Rebels arrive, becoming one of the top teams in college football, but they will likely have some staying power at the top of the college football mountain similar to their SEC rivals Alabama and Georgia.