Lane Kiffin reveals reason for Ole Miss' struggles on offense in 1st quarter vs Tulane

Ole Miss had a rough go in the first quarter against Tulane. The Rebels had 106 total yards of offense in the early going, but had -3 rushing yards through the first 15 minutes.

Lane Kiffin gave credit to the Green Wave’s defense for containing Quinshon Judkins and the Ole Miss running game following a strong first series, which saw Jaxson Dart find Tre Harris for a 31-yard touchdown.

“They’re doing a good job mixing up pressures, bringing a lot of different looks at us,” Kiffin told ESPN2’s Tom Luginbill. “We’re struggling to run the ball so really good first series and then we’ve stalled since then.”

Ole Miss didn’t waste any time getting on the board early vs. Tulane as Dart completed a pass to Harris to put the Rebels on top 7-0. That lead was short-lived, though, after Makhi Hughes punched in a two-yard touchdown to tie things up at 7-7. A 44-yard field goal from Valentino Ambrosio gave the Green Wave a 10-0 lead.

Lane Kiffin: Tulane matchup is not an ‘evaluation game’ for Ole Miss

Tulane is going through the game without quarterback Michael Pratt, who suffered an injury in last week’s game. It’s a big loss for the Green Wave considering Pratt threw for more than 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns last season. Kai Horton got the start at quarterback instead.

Although it’s not a true Power 5 matchup, Kiffin made it clear he’s not taking Tulane lightly. Remember, the Green Wave defeated USC last season in the Cotton Bowl in a 46-45 thriller. That shows what they’re capable of doing, which is why Kiffin said Saturday’s matchup isn’t an “evaluation game” for the Rebels.

“I’m not worried about evaluating,” Kiffin said. “I’m worried about trying to go beat a top-25 team. This is not an evaluation game. We’re going on the road for the first time with our team into one of the hottest teams in the country and probably the hottest quarterback in the country off almost being perfect last week. I would actually like another evaluation game, but we’re that’s not what this is certainly.”

Tulane got a big victory over South Alabama last week, led by a huge performance from Pratt before he left with his injury. The Green Wave continued to look the part in the early going on Saturday even without their signal-caller, proving they’re a legitimate threat after jumping up the rankings to No. 24 in the AP Top 25 after Week 1.