Lane Kiffin says Ole Miss has done 'a really good job' responding to end of season

Ole Miss’ finish was not nearly as strong as its start. After starting 9-0, the Rebels free fell as they lost four of their last five games. Now, as they prepare for their Texas Bowl appearance against Texas Tech, Kiffin believes his team has shaken off that ending and are ready to finish on a high note.

Kiffin spoke about his team’s resolve during his media availability on Monday. He started by acknowledging that how his team ended the season was as unacceptable as it was disappointing. Still, it has set the stage for them to make things right this week.

“I think, at first, obviously that last game was disappointing. How we finished that, how we finished the season in general,” Kiffin said.

Disappointing is about as spot on as it gets when describing Ole Miss’ final five weeks. They lost four games, two at home and two on the road, to LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi State. Those defeats came by an average of 12 points per game. It was a complete script flip after they won their first nine by an average of 18.3 points per game. The one win was a close call in its own right as the Rebels had to come back and hang on late in order to beat Texas A&M by three.

However, Kiffin says his players have done a great job of locking in to how they finish their year off in Houston. They’re all bought into doing everything they can to earn their ninth win of the year and ending things the right way.

“I think they’ve done a really good job,” said Kiffin. “(We’re) going to worry about what we can control now. I do think that the players have done a good job…(We’re) trying to finish this thing right.”

Ole Miss has one last chance to ‘right the ‘sip’ come 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday. Earning their second bowl win under Kiffin won’t completely make up for how things ended this season, but it’ll be far better than the potential alternative when it comes to the program’s vibe if the Red Raiders were to come out on top.