'Cross-country Classic': Everything Lane Kiffin said on the SEC Teleconference ahead of Washington State

The 2025 season resumes for No. 4 Ole Miss after its first open date by hosting Washington State on Saturday. A game that was not supposed to be taking place this year.

Until Wake Forest backed out of its return game to Oxford the week of the two team’s game in Winston-Salem last September. Suddenly Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin and athletic director Keith Carter were in a bind to a replacement game fast.

Enter the Cougars.

“It really puts you in a tough position because it’s really hard to find people,” Kiffin said during Wednesday’s SEC Teleconference. “With (Washington State’s) conference issues, losing the common conference opponents in the Pac-12, they had availability. So we were able to schedule them.”

Washington State’s schedule is unique in the fact it will play fellow Pac-12 holdover Oregon State twice later this season.

But for Ole Miss it was allowed to let the game with the Cougars (3-2) act at the Power 4 opponent replacement due to losing Wake Forest so late in the schedule-making game.

Kiffin has had fun with the matchup and using Ole Miss’ first place position in the SEC standings serve as motivation for his players.

“It’s first-place SEC team versus first-place Pac-12 team,” Kiffin quipped on the call. “Cross-country classic.”

Here is everything else Kiffin said on the SEC Teleconference today

OPENING STATEMENT

Kiffin: “We’re really excited about this matchup. Our first early game of the year and really have encouraged our fans to show up the way they did our last home game against LSU.

“(Washington State has) played a lot better in the last game and presents a lot of challenges. So they’re really well-coached. Really sound in what they do. Their quarterbacks has started playing a lot better than guys were early in the year. So it’s a big challenge for us and one that we’re excited about.”

ON THE LEVEL OF TRUST IN TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS SO QUICKLY

Kiffin: “Whenever we’ve been in a scrimmage format nor now a game format he’s just done a great job and really rose to the occasion. Made big plays in big situations for us.

“We expected him to do it and he did.”

ON CHAMBLISS’ TRANSITION AND MAKING A QUICK IMPACT

Kiffin: “I think that’s exciting, you know. A chance to keep improving that he hasn’t been here very long and he can just get more comfortable.

“So we’re really excited about where both of our quarterbacks are and how they played.”

ON WHAT HE SAW ON TAPE OF CHAMBLISS WHEN RECRUITING HIM

Kiffin: “Just what you guys are seeing now. The ability to make plays with his feet. Keep plays alive, give people a lot of problems with his arm and feet. Really dynamic player with the ball in his hand.”

ON SACRIFICING A HOME GAME FOR A NEUTRAL SITE GAME WITH NIL BENEFITS

Kiffin: “I like our home games for our fans. They get to come and it does a lot for our community and our town with all the people that come into town for the home games. So I wouldn’t want to take that away from our fans and our community. NIL dollars isn’t the answer to everything. (Auburn has) a lot of them over there, so, I prefer in that situation to keep supporting our community and our town and our university that’s been so great for us.”

ON FEEDBACK FROM THE E:60 SPECIAL AND IF HE’S SEEN THE ENTIRE SHOW

Kiffin: “I’ve seen parts of it. I’ve never seen it in a full setting. Really good, exactly what I was (wanting). When they approached me, my number one thing was, ‘Okay, I’ll do this. Let’s make it so it tells a story that can really, hopefully, help other people.’ Whether that’s coaches that are young with their priorities not straight or people struggling, going through different things in life and not knowing why they are where they are in life. Then down the road you’ll see why it all happened.”

“I think in my story it all happened how it was supposed to happen when it was supposed to happen. There’s a lot of pain in there and a lot of suffering but that’s the beauty of growth.

“I’ve gotten a lot of feedback that a lot of people were appreciative of it and it really helped them and help motivate some people that were in a certain situation.”

ON HIS CONFIDENCE THE OLE MISS DEFENSE IS IMPROVING THROUGHOUT THE SEASON

Kiffin: “It is. We’re still a long ways off from last year. That was a really record-setting run defense. One of the best run, average per carry, in the last 15 years of college football. But we are improving and getting some DBs healthier and back. We had a really bad Arkansas game and since then we’ve played much better.”