Lane Kiffin credits Ole Miss, Jaxson Dart for overcoming adversity in win over Auburn

A trip down to The Plains isn’t an easy task for anyone. That’s why, with the game not going their way at moments, Lane Kiffin was as proud as he was of Ole Miss for finding a way to leave Jordan-Hare Stadium with a win.

Kiffin credited his Rebels following their 28-21 victory over Auburn on Saturday night. He said he was glad to see them weather the storm until they finally gained full control of the game on the road.

“Overcoming adversity, especially early like that? We were moving the ball but were hurting ourselves with the penalties,” said Kiffin. “That was great to see.”

To Kiffin, QB Jaxson Dart was a big part of that effort. It wasn’t the best outing from his quarterback but he felt like he did everything that they asked him to do in order for the team to come out victorious.

“I thought Jaxson had one really bad throw which was behind Zakhari (Franklin) and ends up as an interception. We had momentum then. Outside of that? I think he played a really good game,” Kiffin said. “We didn’t ask him to throw a lot. We knew that they basically double-team your slots so there’s going to be chances to scramble because there’s nobody left when they match it. He made some big scrambles.”

“He did a good job,” said Kiffin.

Dart went 10-17 for 202 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. As Kiffin noted, he also produced as a runner with 44 yards and two more scores off of 14 carries.

Add in 124 rushing yards and a trip to the endzone from RB Quinshon Judkins as well as a defensive performance that featured two interceptions plus nine tackles for loss and that was enough to help Ole Miss outpace the Tigers by seven in the end.

You don’t always win at your best and victories aren’t always pretty either. With that in mind, Kiffin had a lot to have pride in when it came to how his team earned their sixth win of the season.

Ole Miss trolls Auburn, Hugh Freeze

Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze — formerly the Rebel’s head coach — met on the field and chatted as many coaches do before games amid warmups. At that point, the Auburn social media team captured a photo of the moment.

They posted it with the caption: “Coach Freeze and a fan” along with a handshake emoji. However, 60 minutes of football later, the shoe was on the other foot.

“Coach Freeze and the man who won,” the Ole Miss football account on X/Twitter said, reposting the original from Auburn. They made sure to include a handshake emoji for good measure too.

Coach Freeze and the man who won 🤝 https://t.co/LwTiFZ7qke

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 22, 2023

Since then, Auburn’s social media team has deleted their original tweet. With that being the case, Ole Miss seems to have gone 2-0 over the Tigers this weekend.