Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin is On3 Power Five national head coach of the week
Each week during the season, On3 selects a national Power Five head coach of the week.
Our choice for Week 5: Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin.
Asked after the Rebels’ 55-49 win over LSU whether he’d ever been part of a game quite like that, Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart provided an amusing response.
“Hell no. That was awesome,” Dart said before giggling and adding, “That was like one of the funnest moments of my life.”
In addition to being a crazy game that featured 1,323 combined yards of total offense, it was also a much-needed win for Kiffin and the Rebels just a week after a disappointing loss to Alabama.
After LSU got a touchdown to go up 49-40 with 8:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, Ole Miss answered with a touchdown, then scored again to take the lead with 39 seconds left in the game and eventually sealed the win when an LSU pass attempt from the Rebels’ 26-yard line fell incomplete as time expired.
“Extremely proud of our players,” Kiffin said. “A lot of stuff happened there. We’re down two scores in the fourth quarter against arguably the best offensive personnel in the country. Easy to give in. Not fluke plays. Guys had to drive the length of the field twice. Had to stop them, then stop them again, which we did. Just really proud of these guys.”
Prior to Saturday, Kiffin and the Rebels had dropped six of their previous eight games against Power Five opponents dating back to last season, including five of the last six. Now though, Ole Miss is 4-1, ranked No. 16 in the AP poll and heading into a stretch of four straight games against unranked opponents before a matchup against No. 1 Georgia Nov. 11.
Honorable mentions
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman: Behind Freeman, Notre Dame bounced back from its brutal loss to Ohio State with a 21-14 win at No. 17 Duke.
Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith: Smith guided No. 19 Oregon State to a 21-7 victory over No. 10 Utah.
Kentucky’s Mark Stoops: Stoops led Kentucky to a 33-14 win over No. 22 Florida. It was the Wildcats’ largest win over the Gators since 1979.
West Virginia’s Neal Brown: West Virginia’s 24-21 win at TCU was the Mountaineers’ fourth straight win since a season-opening loss to Penn State. West Virginia is off to its first 2-0 start in Big 12 play since 2018.