Lane Kiffin says 'weird things happen' at Jordan-Hare Stadium after rocky first half vs. Auburn
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is happy to be tied at halftime against Auburn after the way the his team performed in the first half. The Rebels missed several opportunities, committing two turnovers, including one that happened on fourth-and goal from the Tigers 10-yard line.
Still, despite those mistakes, they find themselves in a position to win as the score is knotted at 14 heading into the locker room. Kiffin spoke with ESPN sideline reporter Katie George briefly after the first half, saying “weird things happen” when his team faces Auburn on the road but he believes they can come out stronger in the second half.
“It’s gonna happen in this stadium,” he said. “Weird things happen. We screw up the field goal, bad punt. But to be tied at half and we played a really ugly half and weathered their storm, it’s a four-quarter game. This team is built for that.”
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was solid in the first half to finish 5-of-9 passing for 96 yards with one touchdown and an interception. However, the Rebels got most of their work done on the ground to finish with 144 yards rushing and a touchdown, including 78 yards from Quinshon Judkins.
Kiffin knows it has to be better to give itself a chance in the second half, however, in particular limiting the turnovers.
“We had the one bad throw and got the turnover,” he said. “We’ve run the ball really well so we’ve just gotta come out and play a really clean second half.”
The Ole Miss defense put together a respectable performance in the first half, limiting Auburn to just 26 yards passing and forcing an interception. However, they gave up 5.7 yards per carry on the ground, and will have to do a better job limiting Jarquez Hunter in the second as well.
Ole Miss has lost its only contest at Jordan-Hare Stadium since Kiffin took over as coach, falling by a score of 31-20 in 2021. That game featured plenty of controversy, as played was stopped after Tigers fans began to throw items onto the field.
That included a golf ball, which hit Kiffin in the head in what became one of the more infamous moments from that season. That’s likely what the coach was referencing in his interview.
It appears we’re in for another tight battle, but hopefully things won’t get as out of control as they did that year. The Rebels will get the ball first to start the half as they aim to retake the lead.