Lane Kiffin urges Ole Miss to focus on consistency after a challenging first half against Kentucky, highlighting the need for better performance in key moments.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin vs. Georgia Southern Eagles at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. on Saturday, September 21, 2024. ©Bruce NewmanAfter establishing themselves defensively and making life very difficult for the top-ranked offense in the country, Kentucky leads Ole Miss 10-7 at the half.
In particular, the defensive line from Kentucky has done a good job of applying pressure to quarterback Jaxson Dart and preventing him from developing a rhythm. Just 126 yards were gained by Ole Miss in the first half.
Kiffin Demands Consistency After Kentucky Game
“They perform well. Rebels coach Lane Kiffin told ABC sideline reporter Molly McGrath at halftime, “They’re perfect like I said all week.” These guys have incredibly talented players, so we need to perform better. We will need to improve our consistency and make up for the shots we’ve missed in the deep end.
Ole Miss had a clinical first drive. With a touchdown and a 7-0 lead, the Rebels marched 83 yards in six plays. That gave them just forty-three yards more.
Ole Miss was only able to muster five first-half possessions and 8:20 of possession time thanks to Kentucky’s control of the pace.
However, a portion of that was brought on by errors made by Kiffin’s team on the other side of the ball. There were opportunities for the Rebels to stop certain Wildcat drives, but the yellow flag was raised.
“Well, we have contributed to that in part. We have three instances of defensive holding on third or fourth down, as well as pass interference, according to Kiffin. It sustained their motivation. Therefore, we must do considerably better on offense after the first drive in terms of consistency. We’re playing the same kind of game we’ve played with these guys previously.
In the first half, Ole Miss was called for eight penalties totaling 53 yards, while Kentucky only received one holding flag for 10 yards.
Brock Vandagriff, the quarterback for the UK, played well in the first half, going 10-of-14 passing for 84 yards and a touchdown. In addition, he gained some crucial first downs with his legs on nine runs totaling 24 yards. At the half, Dart was 7-of-11 for 97 yards for UM. He also covered 24 yards in eight runs.
All three of the series’ meetings have been won by Ole Miss; these matches have taken place since 2017. 2011 saw Kentucky’s final series victory.