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Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin remembers dad after upsetting Georgia

OXFORD – In the time between Ole Miss football fans storming the field with 16 seconds left against Georgia and coach Lane Kiffin’s postgame press conference, he thought back to a conversation he had last year.

It came after Georgia soundly defeated the Rebels and Kiffin’s father, legendary football coach Monte Kiffin, consoled him.

“I remember him saying after the game, ‘We’re going to turn this around. Next year you’re going to beat Georgia,'” Kiffin said.

No. No. 12 Ole Miss defeated No. 2 Georgia 28-10 on Saturday in a high-stakes game. It was Georgia’s first loss to a non-Alabama team since 2021. It was a record-breaking crowd at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. It was Kiffin’s signature win at Ole Miss. And it fulfilled the words of Monte Kiffin, who died in July.

“(The win) was really in (his) style,” Kiffin said. “Great defense. Dominant defensive performance. Soft offense and field goals. He’s happy with that performance.”

Kiffin’s assessment is correct. The Rebels’ defense prevented Georgia senior quarterback Carson Beck from establishing a rhythm. Beck, who was sacked five times, threw for 186 yards and an interception.

After converting a seven-play, 21-yard drive into a touchdown on its first drive, Georgia mustered just three points in the final 3½ quarters.

Ole Miss put up 28 points with two quarterbacks and a kicker catching fire. When Jaxson Dart (199 yards, one touchdown, one interception) left briefly with an ankle injury after the opening drive, backup quarterback Austin Simmons led a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Senior kicker Caden Davis made all five of his field goal attempts, including one from 53 yards late in the second quarter.

Despite the ankle injury that visibly hampered Dart at times, he returned to the game with 5:05 remaining in the first quarter.

“I love (Kiffin),” Dart said. “I will do everything I can to win a match for him.”

It was Ole Miss’ fifth win against a top-five team at home (and 15th top-five win overall). It was the Rebels’ first since 2014, when they defeated No. 1 Alabama 23-17 in a victory that was later overturned.

And this was their largest margin of victory against a top-five team since they defeated No. 3 Tennessee 38-0 in 1969.

The win is undeniably Kiffin’s biggest in his five years at the helm of Ole Miss. It came close to winning a game of a similar caliber in 2022 against Alabama, but it couldn’t hold a 17-7 lead and ultimately lost 30-7. 24.

“I’m very happy for our university,” Kiffin said. “(Athletic director) Keith (Carter) made the decision to bring us here. A lot of good things have happened, but there hasn’t been a signature game like this. We were close when Alabama was here. Just really happy. “

Kiffin said his father would be proud.

“I know he’s watching,” Kiffin said. “He loved these kinds of games. Big games. I’ve been thinking about him a lot this week. I thought, ‘Man, if we win this, he’d be so happy.’ “

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] or reach him at X at @Sam_Hutchens_