Lane Kififn goes off on defenseless player blocking rule

On3 imageby:Kaiden Smith09/26/22

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Following Ole Miss‘ 35-27 win over Tulsa Saturday, head coach Lane Kiffin was asked about the targeting rule, as the Rebels went their second straight week getting the penalty called on them. Kiffin had no problem with how targeting gets called and said it’s a good rule for the game. But he does have a problem with the defenseless player blocking rule, which the Rebels were also penalized for on Saturday.

“Now the defenseless player block, that’s a whole different rule, because the defensive player block, I’m a receiver I’m going in to block you and you’re tight there and the ball is coming right at me now I’m not supposed to block you,” Kiffin said. “Because today we got one that calls back a fourth down that he was just blocking him like you teach guys in pee wee football.”

Kiffin was clearly frustrated with the call in the game and the rule overall, as it erased a fourth down conversion in the last eight minutes of the game for the Rebels. LSU head coach Brian Kelly was frustrated with a similar penalty called on his team this weekend, and it’ll be interesting how the rule will continue to impact college football for the rest of the season.

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“So that rule, that one, I don’t understand. You’re not defenseless when you can turn your head and look, you’re just unaware,” Kiffin said as he walked away from the podium.

Lane Kiffin addresses plan for Ole Miss quarterback Luke Altmyer

Ole Miss‘ quarterback competition between Jaxson Dart and Luke Altmyer that lingered into the 2022 season seems to have finally come to an end. The Rebel’s week 4, 35-27 win over Tulsa was their first game of the season that didn’t feature both quarterbacks in some capacity, as Dart took all of the snaps at quarterback for Ole Miss. Head coach Lane Kiffin was asked about not utilizing Altmyer for the first time this season, and what the plan is with him moving forward.

“We have a plan right now with Luke, we’ve sat down with him and his family and have a plan for him. He’s our backup quarterback, so we’re on the same page,” Kiffin said.

Kiffin didn’t make it clear what exact plans are for Altmyer, but did make it clear that Dart will be the starter and that Altmyer will be the backup. In Dart’s first four games with the Rebels, he’s thrown for 697 yards, five touchdowns, and 201 yards on the ground, proving himself as an effective dual threat. The Rebel’s offensive line has also done a great job protecting Dart, only allowing one sack on Dart this season as the Rebels enter week 5 unbeaten.

Altmyer showed some promise in his first three weeks of the season, he was supposed to start their week 2 matchup versus Central Arkansas, which he did, but had to leave the game early with an upper-body injury. Dart came in for his relief and played well, but Altmyer ended his first three weeks throwing for 125 yards on 17 pass attempts with two touchdowns.

It sounds like seeing Altmyer under center this season for Ole Miss barring an unfortunate injury will be unlikely, but for Ole Miss, it’s nice to know they have a quarterback in the backup role they can trust if needed and can push Dart throughout the remainder of the season.