Lane Kiffin lists unexpected players that stood out on tape

Following a season-opening 73-7 win over Mercer there was a whole lot that coach Lane Kiffin could find that his team did well, and he even singled out some individual performances after the game.

A trio of Ole Miss players particularly caught his attention.

“I thought you saw Cayden Lee come in and do well,” Kiffin said.

Lee is a true freshman wide receiver who enrolled in the spring semester, so he’s had a little bit of time to get adjusted. He caught a 34-yard touchdown in the season opener.

Another player who arrived on campus in January, though a much more seasoned one than Lee, also caught Kiffin’s eye.

“I thought (Victor Curne) played really well to play left tackle and right tackle in the game,” Kiffin said. “He did a really good job, when he had actually played guard a lot in camp. So that was really good to see.”

Curne transferred to Ole Miss this offseason from Washington, where he made 26 career appearances, including 16 starts at right tackle. He was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection in 2020.

Finally, quarterback Walker Howard, an LSU transfer, also impressed the head coach.

“I mentioned Walker coming in, really didn’t get any gameplan reps,” Lane Kiffin said. “To come in and do that well was awesome.”

Howard finished the season opener 3-of-4 passing for 56 yards without a touchdown or an interception.

Kiffin explains starting Jaxson Dart

Ole Miss has plenty of options at quarterback, from Jaxson Dart, to Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders, to Howard. Kiffin obviously picked Dart to start the opener.

He explained his reasoning for doing so following the game.

“Jaxson played really well,” Kiffin said. “Like I’ve said, had a really good camp in spring and so he’s the starting quarterback. Said all along, we’re extremely excited about that room, that depth in the room. Walker came in, played really well, made some really good throws in the game too. I always say, in the team, each position group is its team within itself. Our goal is each year to improve that in the offseason. That position has been dramatically improved. Like you saw the play from all three guys that went in.”

Dart was 18-of-23 passing for 334 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions. Sanders, meanwhile, went 8-of-14 passing for 134 yards and two touchdowns.