Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin didn’t mince words after his team’s 24-17 loss to Florida, a defeat that officially ended the Rebels’ hopes of making the College Football Playoff. Speaking at the postgame press conference, Kiffin reflected on a night filled with missed opportunities and costly mistakes.
“This went…you know, a game of a lot of missed opportunities,” Kiffin began, clearly frustrated. “Go for three in the red zone, get no points out of the missed field goal, and get stopped twice on fourth downs. You know, lose the turnover margin in a tough place to play against a team that has played really good. When that quarterback plays, credit to him. It’s a really good player. That made a lot of plays in the first half when we had him back there.”
Kiffin lamented the moments that could have changed the game’s outcome, highlighting red-zone inefficiencies and a late-game chance to tie the score. “A lot was at stake, and we didn’t come through,” he admitted. “Ball in our hand to score a touchdown and tie the game, and it didn’t go our way sometimes.”
Ole Miss, usually strong against the run, allowed 120 rushing yards in the first half alone. Kiffin credited Florida’s offensive line and running backs for their performance. “I think they have a really good offensive line, and those backs run really hard,” he said. “That was probably the biggest concern coming in, and they did a really good job.”
Kiffin on Dropped Passes and Run Game Challenges
“Very unusual,” Kiffin said of the drops. “I think somebody jinxed us this week. Somebody said Jordan [Watkins’] analytics were 100% catch percentage. As soon as they said that, I said I wish you wouldn’t have said that.” He added that one critical pass occurred in a challenging area of the field: “That’s where the sun’s at coming that direction, but it was a great play by Jaxson, great throw. Wish it would’ve been caught because we might be sitting here with a much different storyline.”
The running game also failed to provide the spark Kiffin hoped for, as Ole Miss experimented with Micah Davis in the backfield. “Just trying to get a spark back there with some speed,” he explained. “We hadn’t had a lot of success in the run game this past month, so we tried something different.”
Looking Ahead: Keeping the Team Together After Third Loss
When asked about the challenge of regrouping after a third loss, Kiffin admitted the mental toll it would take on his players and staff. “This is going to be really challenging,” he said. “There’s a lot of disappointed players and coaches in that locker room. And this is the new age setup—kind of NFL-ish. When you’re knocked out of the playoffs, you’ve still got games to play.”
Despite the disappointment, Kiffin emphasized the importance of moving forward, especially with an important game looming next weekend. “We’ll get to tomorrow,” he said, stressing the need to refocus and finish the season strong.