Everything Lane Kiffin said before Ole Miss played Mississippi State in Egg Bowl

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin spoke with the media Monday about Mississippi State and preparing for the Egg Bowl. Here’s what the coach of the Rebels had to say.

Opening statement: “Short week. It’s a huge game. Obviously, a lot of history with this matchup and means a lot in this state. One that wasn’t very familiar with coming in, now five years ago, and became very familiar with, especially as going around the state speaking with people. Spoke extensively to our players about that. With so many of them, I think somebody said in our team room there’s 48 players, I think, is what Tom Luke said, that weren’t here or that are new. So, it’s a lot of guys to try to get to understand the magnitude of this and how records don’t matter in this game and how much passion there is and how hard players play in this game.”

On opportunity to potentially get in College Football Playoff: “Well, it’s a new age now. As you guys have asked before, I usually don’t ever speak about those things to the team because it’s one week at a time, but I did a few weeks ago say, hey, if that’s what motivates you and gets you to prepare better and stuff, have talked about that before with them. I would have thought after the game that was out, but then when so many different things happened with us being the early game and percentages now saying that’s alive, and so I did tell them that.

I think there should be so much motivation to keep the Egg Bowl Trophy here and win this game and play really well. That’s added and helps them to know that playoffs are still alive and that they get kind of the first shot to show everybody on a national stage as opposed to a Saturday a game where people that make these decisions don’t necessarily see the game, all the games because there’s so many going on. You got a shot to show everybody.”

On if Micah Davis will have a similar role like he did vs. Florida: “I’m not going to get into that from a game-planning standpoint, but I thought he did a good job. Unfortunately, we had a holding on his longer run and he got some space and didn’t have a lot of space otherwise, so…” 

On how he’s seen Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State evolve: “Yeah, I think I’ve just learned more about it. You know, like I mentioned, Tom Luke, you know, he taught me a lot about it and how much it means. And, you know, been on the winning side of it every year but won. So, you know, that was to see the losing side and how that felt, you know, makes you want to make sure you win it even more.”

On if he’s talked with Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby: “I have not spoke to him this year, I don’t think. Kind of is what it is. I think he said when he got the job, this is going to be a really fun Egg Bowl, he said this year, so that he was really excited about it. So, I guess we’re excited, too.”

On Mississippi State’s offense: “They go really fast on offense. I think the quarterback can move around and make some plays. I do think they have some really good skill on offense that’s quick and explosive. We’re going to have to play really good defense and get lined up.”

On Ole Miss run game: “That’s a kind of generic question. Enough holes to run through. We could have blocked better. I don’t really know how to exactly answer that. You know, I think that, you know, we could improve in that. I think that that’s a – I think there’s – I don’t know why exactly. In the SEC, people have struggled to run the ball more than normal. I think if you look at it, there’s nobody, I think, in the top maybe 38 rushing teams in the country in the SEC, which is highly unusual. So I don’t know if it happens to be a really good front year in the SEC, you know, or not as good as running backs as there has been in the SEC.”

More on Ole Miss run game: “I think that have been very up-and-down, inconsistent. We’ve been a much better pass protection team than run protection team. I think that we could improve in that. I don’t know why exactly. In the SEC, people have struggled to run the ball more than normal. I think if you look at it, there’s nobody, I think, in the top maybe 38 rushing teams in the country in the SEC, which is highly unusual. So, I don’t know if it happens to be a really good front year in the SEC or not as good as running backs as there has been in the SEC.”

On road SEC games vs. home SEC games: “We study that. It’s always been there. We’ve pulled up even stats over time when we’ve looked at since we’ve been here and even look at the offensive average scoring on the road in SEC games that are playing the same teams, not non-conference, and what the SEC teams score on the road versus home and the glaring difference. At one point one year when we were looking at it, it was a whole touchdown difference. I think that’s probably always been there. I don’t know why it seems to be more magnified now.

“I think you certainly have also these teams that have the hostile nonstop, what I call intense environments in an entire game. I’m not going to list them, but you kind of know from who they are. It’s really interesting when you study them and obviously how well they play at home, but then the drop off to the road. I’ve kind of always said that’s something because they’re programmed and used to having that intensity on their side every game for the entire game. Now when they go on the road, they don’t have it, and you see some giant record differences of those teams. It’s really good when you draw those teams here versus when you play them at their place. They’re very different teams. The last team we just played is kind of showing that this season, too.”

On Ole Miss WR Tre Harris: “I think he’s still figuring out, talking to, getting some different opinions on it. So I don’t know much more than that right now. I don’t know that (about his mental state). I don’t know whether they take that in. I don’t know that answer. I know a lot of people do it. We were focused on winning this game and winning the Egg Bowl. Whatever gets us to 20 wins the last two seasons. So, there’s a lot at stake.”

On Ole Miss seniors: “I do think on that earlier question, I think about it about being here too. Something that I should have said there is, I’ve never been in a place five years, I’ve never been in a place to have a senior day. And I was just wanting to make sure that I recognize my appreciation, especially nowadays where so few players stay, to have these guys in an entire time and to have a senior night coming up, you know, where they came here with us in the beginning, and now we’ve been here the whole time with them. It’s really neat and special. And these guys, when I just said that, thinking of the 20 wins the last two seasons, you know, you know, these guys, probably historians here would say probably had the best run in the history of the school for, you know, the last four or five years. So that’s pretty special what they’ve been able to accomplish.”

On the run of this group of seniors while meshing with new transfers: “Yeah, I think that’s fair. And then you’ve got people that have been here the whole time that are playing in their last game. So it hit me again, it kind of hit me last night when Tom Luke was talking to the team and talked about that, about his appreciation for being here a long time and how these guys in this room that have been here for five years, you know, have been on the best run in the history of the school and have brought a lot of success here to the program and to the university. So that’s pretty neat to think about those guys and be grateful for those guys, what they’ve done, especially in the world that not many people stay nowadays.”

On getting so many new Ole Miss players ready for Egg Bowl: “Yeah, we talked a lot about that last night, part of why I had Tom Luke talk, about how this game means so much and how throw out that they’ve only won two games and haven’t beat a power five team all year. Throw that out. This is the Egg Bowl, and you got to be ready to play.”