What the Ole Miss head coach said after South Carolina's 27-3 loss

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin spoke to the media after the team's 27-3 victory over South Carolina on Saturday. Here's what he had to say.

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Opening speech

“I want to say something first. Our thoughts and prayers go out to (Ole Miss Law Professor) Ron and Claire Rychlak, who tragically lost a son this week. The service was today. He had a profound impact on so many students and faculty at the University over a long period of time. So our thoughts and prayers go out to her family this whole week and today.

“I thought it was a really tough week getting back into football. It's been a really tough week with this loss. I thought we probably had the worst feeling after a loss most days since you've been in a game here. Our fans will be angry because we lost. We just gave the thing away in so many ways. It was not at all what we had imagined.

“So, our guys who fought this week. We fought through it so it didn't affect a second game. Any time a game is a 24-point game where we fumble on the way to the end zone and miss a few other completely open players, that means a lot of people are doing right. That's why I'm very happy with our players for coming back because I've already said that you can win a one-score game if the ball goes in or out with one shot. But when you're heading into a really tough situation against a team that's really undefeated and you get a random penalty against LSU, that's probably the 10th-ranked team in the country that's undefeated just played. So I’m really proud of our coaches and players and how they performed today.”

On taking advantage of South Carolina's early mistakes

“It was really good. We thank our special teams, our special teams and our defense. We felt like we were faking a punt. We played a lot of punt safety where you saw Walter (Nolen) rushing and stuff like that, just to play it safe in the first part of the season. So we thought they could do something like that and walk in.

“(I'm) really happy that our coaches did a good job and the players played the game. It's a big dynamic and I think overall it was a really clean game, especially how we performed. We've been the most penalized defense in America for five games. So it's exciting to see the players respond to what we've been mulling over all week and they've done a really good job from the start. That’s a really good defensive performance there against two quarterbacks that are tough at times because even if you cover people, they’re hard to catch.”

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About Suntarine Perkins' performance

“But I just love it when a kid is fighting and everyone wants to leave, especially when it's a highly recruited kid because everything doesn't go the way it's supposed to early on. He just keeps working, so it was great for him to get a big chance today and make plays. Our team had left tackle out and Princely (Umanmielen) was out, so the guys competed, with some injured, which is great. And Tre Harris, the most productive receiver in the country, didn’t come back to play the entire second half, so it was a really good job by the guys to step up.”

On what makes JJ Pegues a reliable option on the goal line

“He’s just so unique. He can run really well. For £300 he has great feet. That's what we've done all offseason by preparing for goal-line and short-yard situations and deploying our team outside the penalty area. We don't have any great running backs. We had one, (and) now we don't have it anymore, so we found one. He was just on the D-line.

“He’s just really unique and very special. And actually, on his touchdown before (halftime), we actually used that play, so that says a lot about him – that we can fit a play with a D-lineman into a play the wrong way, and he could make it at quarterback.”

On Ole Miss's offensive performance without Harris

“I thought we were big-small. And of course, Juice (Wells) should have changed hands of course, or we're talking about a different outcome – and two different double moves that Jaxson (Dart) misses because he took advantage of what they did. I thought it had moved around a bit, making it a bit big.

“And these guys have really good players. Those are two really unique endings. This rookie (Dylan Stewart) is going to be a phenomenal player. He is a phenomenal player. These guys give you problems, especially in this stadium because of their pass rush and style of play.”

About whether darts barrels were designed or options

“Well, they weren’t scrambles – some were called runs. He makes a couple big turnovers late to keep that drive (alive) – which was really good because even though it (the lead) was three points, the defense had made a lot of plays and we had them on their back with a three-pointer. We just tried to take advantage of the whole time and come out of here with a win, and Jaxson had some good runs along the way. Many of them were called “runs” or because they play the running back and he will make it.

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On the importance of darts cadence when executing offside penalties

“Well, he had no rhythm. He just claps and they jump. But it was an important part of the plan because they do a great job. They charge in a unique way and that was a big part of the plan because sometimes we applaud twice because we couldn't let them go because they're so wide and they're causing a lot of problems for their tackles. LSU's left tackle is great and he's struggled. So that was a big part of the plan. Even if it doesn’t work, they slow down.”

On Nolen's impact on Ole Miss' defensive line

“I thought Walter was really good today. I mean, they hold him a lot every week, and they held him a lot today. We set our offenses on defense, and I keep telling the refs, 'Okay, we'll correct ours, but then they keep holding on our D-line players, especially Walter.' But (I) was just proud of him because I I talked to him a lot about it: “It’s going to be a long game.” It’s a hot game. You will play a lot. And just, like a fighter, just go out there and not waste a lot of energy between rounds.” And I thought he did a really good job.

“You see these huge celebrations and all that, and I just told the guys, 'Expect to make plays.' Last week we celebrated the celebration of the year every time we put on a play. So, just to make plays. Pay attention to our offense – we don’t celebrate first downs. “You can celebrate a touchdown, but that's all. That's why I was proud of the way Walter played.”

On the effectiveness of helmet communication in Williams-Brice Stadium

“I thought we kind of shut them down because the game was going our way. Apparently some people left at half time, so it wasn't a problem at all in the second half. I think when we get first downs, it's pretty difficult for crowd noise to have a big impact on that system. It's the same way in Tennessee. When you go on the road, you get a bunch of first downs, you play so fast that, I say, the crowd doesn't know when to cheer. It's not the traditional, “Okay, they go to the line and shoot the ball.” If you don't get the first downs, that's a problem. But I think our guys did a good job today.”

On Ole Miss' health ahead of next week's game against LSU

“(LSU is) another team we’re going to give a bye to. (Our starting player) left tackle didn't play today. Princely didn't play the right ending. So it's a good job by the boys to improve and develop depth. But we're going to get another team that gets a bye – which might be a big deal to people, but I think it's overrated. Analyzes show that you can't really place much value on your win rate after a bye. So it is what it is.”