Lane Kiffin on Ole Miss first half vs. Tulsa: 'We've got to respond a lot better'

Despite a 35-17 halftime lead, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin wasn’t overly pleased with the performance of his team. After facing their first deficit of the season in the first quarter against Tulsa, the Rebels ripped off 28 points in the second quarter.

But Kiffin wasn’t totally pleased with the defensive performance. Right after taking a 35-14 lead with less than two minutes to play in the half, the Hurricanes took an inside carry deep into Ole Miss territory and cashed in with a field goal right before the half. It also took about a quarter for the defense to settle in.

“Well I think it’s the first time we’ve had some adversity on defense this year,” Kiffin said at halftime on the SEC Network broadcast. “So we’ve got to respond a lot better. We just gave up three points on a long run there. We’ve got a lot work to do on defense and we’ve gotta make sure we’re not messing up on offense, and sustain drives like we have.”

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USC transfer quarterback Jaxson Dart has been a bright spot for Ole Miss. He’s turned in a fairly modest first half passing line — 8-for-13 for 111 yards and two touchdowns — but showed some burst on the ground, rushing five times for 69 yards.

Kiffin was pleased with his quarterback taking to the ground early and then adjusting to the passing game as the Tulsa defense countered to match what Ole Miss was trying to do offensively.

“Jaxson’s played really well. He’s got to continue to do that, manage the game the way he has,” Kiffin said. “These guys all of a sudden are playing man, came out to stop the run, so he’s got to let the outside receivers win the game. Which is what is going on right now.”