Matt Corral shares message from Lane Kiffin ahead of Ole Miss vs. Alabama

Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral has been busy shattering records and putting himself in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race in the early part of the season. On Saturday, he and the 12th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels will line up against the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in one of the most highly-anticipated matchups of the college football season.

In an interview with Matt Leinart, Corral shared a message from his head coach, Lane Kiffin, to help his team’s mindset for the game.

“Just don’t listen to the outside noise,” Corral said. “You know, I’ve said this in multiple interviews. It’s never about who we’re playing. It’s all about how we execute and how we come in ready on Monday practic. What matters is what we do in this building 24/7. If we’re worried about what’s going on Saturday on a Monday, that’s not gonna get you anywhere.

“Playing a team like Alabama, they’re a great, great team all-around in all three phases. To beat these guys, you’ve got to be locked in to all the details because these guys don’t get beat by chance.”

If there’s a quarterback in college football who can knock Alabama off, clearly Corral has the talent to do just that. His spotless resume early in the 2021 campaign puts him in rarified air. So far he’s 3-0, has 14 total touchdowns with zero interceptions, and he’s finished with over 300-plus yards in each game. The surgically accurate signal-caller is also the commander of the nation’s leading offense, Ole Miss is averaging 635.3 yards per game.

Will Anderson, Jr.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban knows that Matt Corral is good enough that if he doesn’t get any pressure on him, he will carve his secondary up. The No. 1 guy who will be responsible for dialing up heat on Corral is Will Anderson Jr., one of the best pass-rushers in college football. So far, the sophomore linebacker has racked up 24 tackles (second on his team), 8.5 tackles for loss (second in the nation) and two sacks. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin had high praise for Anderson, Jr. when he compared him to All-Pro NFL defensive ends, Myles Garrett and Derrick Thomas.

Corral’s performance vs. Tulane

In Corral’s record-setting performance against Tulane, he completed 23 of his 31 pass attempts for 335 passing yards. He also rushed for 68 yards on the ground an accounted for seven total touchdowns. He threw for three touchdowns and rushed for four more in the game, becoming the first player in SEC history to accomplish such a feat.

On3’s Jonathan Wagner and James Fletcher III also contributed to this report.