Lane Kiffin sends crystal clear message to running back Zach Evans

Ole Miss had a commanding 42-0 win over Georgia Tech this weekend, in a game where the Rebel’s offense and defense shined. One of the highlights was the impressive performance of running back Zach Evans, but head coach Lane Kiffin focused on one of his only low lights of the day when asked what stood out about his performance.

“Yeah, I’d like him to stop fumbling. It’s like Jaxson [Dart], they both had one really bad play, when everything’s going good, it’s the only thing that can break momentum. Put the ball on the ground or throw the pick, so hopefully, you learn from that, and other guys went in and made plays,” Kiffin said.

Thankfully for Evans and Ole Miss, his fumble was not recovered by the defense and didn’t cost them a turnover. But it’s clear Kiffin wants to emphasize ball security, as he still chose to mention the fumble Dart’s late, second-quarter interception, despite neither play heavily impacting the game’s outcome.

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Aside from the fumble, Evans had a great game, rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries for the Rebel’s Saturday. It’s his second 100-yard rushing day of the season, as he rushed for another 130 yards in the team’s season opener versus Troy.

This is Evans’ first year with Ole Miss, transferring in from TCU earlier this year. With the Horned Frogs in 2021, Evans led the team in rushing with 648 yards despite only playing in 6 games due to injury. He also averaged an impressive 7.3 yards per carry with TCU and is picking up right where he left off with the Rebels, currently averaging 6.5 a carry and leading the team in rushing yards.

Kiffin may have an issue with Evans’ turnovers, as he has two fumbles on the season now, but he’s definitely established himself as a great primary running back option that can be a big part of their offense this season.

Lane Kiffin sends strong message on costly interception from Jaxson Dart in first half

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was not pleased with what he saw out of quarterback Jaxson Dart in the first half Saturday against Georgia Tech. Although the Rebels took a 21-0 lead into halftime, it was their defense and rushing attack (216 first-half yards) that led the way.

Dart, on the other hand, finished just 4-of-9 passing for 92 yards and threw an interception in Yellow Jackets territory with just 24 seconds remaining until halftime. That prevented the Rebels from potentially taking an even bigger lead into the locker room, and left Kiffin frustrated at his young QB.

“I caught up with Lane Kiffin coming out of halftime and asked, ‘Coach, what did Jaxson tell you he saw on that turnover?’” ESPN’s Tom Luginbill said on the broadcast. “He looked at me dead in the eye and said, ‘Jaxson wasn’t talking, I was talking.’ He is not happy with his quarterback. You could tell that by Lane Kiffin’s body language on the sideline after the turnover occurred. He said, ‘We’ve talked so much about being smart with the football. We love you being a gambler, but you’ve got to play the position correctly.’”

Lane Kiffin would have liked to see Jaxson Dart play it safe and keep the ball in that situation instead of trying to force a throw like he did. Dart turned things around in the second half and make a few big throws, and the sophomore will hope to continue to improve as the season goes on.

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report