Lane Kiffin addresses plan for Ole Miss quarterback Luke Altmyer

Ole Miss‘ quarterback competition between Jaxson Dart and Luke Altmyer that lingered into the 2022 season seems to have finally come to an end. The Rebel’s week 4, 35-27 win over Tulsa was their first game of the season that didn’t feature both quarterbacks in some capacity, as Dart took all of the snaps at quarterback for Ole Miss. Head coach Lane Kiffin was asked about not utilizing Altmyer for the first time this season, and what the plan is with him moving forward.

“We have a plan right now with Luke, we’ve sat down with him and his family and have a plan for him. He’s our backup quarterback, so we’re on the same page,” Kiffin said.

Kiffin didn’t make it clear what exact plans are for Altmyer, but did make it clear that Dart will be the starter and that Altmyer will be the backup. In Dart’s first four games with the Rebels, he’s thrown for 697 yards, five touchdowns, and 201 yards on the ground, proving himself as an effective dual threat. The Rebel’s offensive line has also done a great job protecting Dart, only allowing one sack on Dart this season as the Rebels enter week 5 unbeaten.

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Altmyer showed some promise in his first three weeks of the season, he was supposed to start their week 2 matchup versus Central Arkansas, which he did, but had to leave the game early with an upper-body injury. Dart came in for his relief and played well, but Altmyer ended his first three weeks throwing for 125 yards on 17 pass attempts with two touchdowns.

It sounds like seeing Altmyer under center this season for Ole Miss barring an unfortunate injury will be unlikely, but for Ole Miss, it’s nice to know they have a quarterback in the backup role they can trust if needed and can push Dart throughout the remainder of the season.

Lane Kiffin gives addresses lack of carries for Zach Evans in second half

Ole Miss secured a 35-27 win over Tulsa this Saturday, headlined by an explosive second quarter for their offense where the Rebels scored 28 unanswered points, ending four straight offensive drives with touchdowns. Rebels running back Zach Evans entered the matchup as their leading rusher, but saw very limited action in the second half. Head coach Lane Kiffin was asked about Evans’ lack of carries in the second half, to which he gave a very short, blunt answer.

“Yeah, that was a medical thing,” Kiffin said.

The medical status of Evans was made pretty unclear by Kiffin, but Ole Miss will surely hope he’s healthy for next week’s game as they enter conference play for the first time this season. Evans, a TCU transfer, has made a splash so far this season in his first year with Ole Miss, as he entered their game versus Tulsa with the most carries and rush yards on the team.

Evans finished the Tulsa game with just ten carries for 48 yards and one touchdown, but Quinshon Judkins took on the bulk of the running responsibilities in the second half and thrived in his absence. Judkins finished Saturday’s game with 140 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, as he now leads the Rebels in rushing with 429 yards on the season, just 64 yards ahead of Evans.

Ole Miss has their biggest test of the season so far next week, as they take on No. 7 Kentucky at home in their first SEC game of the season. Hopefully for the Rebels, Evans will be healthy and ready to go for their next matchup, and they can use him in tandem with Judkins out of the backfield as a dangerous duo and one-two punch.