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The Drive Home: No. 7 Ole Miss chomps Florida, while Lane Kiffin avoids rumors

Ben Garrettby: Ben Garrett10 hours agoSpiritBen
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Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin (Photo credit: Ole Miss Football/X)

The Drive Home, driven by Allen Samuels Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram of Oxford, is LIVE after No. 7 Ole Miss moved to 10-1 on the 2025-26 season with a 34-24 win over Florida on Saturday.

Lane Kiffin deflected when given multiple opportunities to dismiss coaching carousel rumors in his postgame press conference. But all that really matters is the Rebels are barreling towards the College Football Playoff.

They have an 87 percent chance with a bye coming next week and their regular-season finale, at in-state rival Mississippi State, on Black Friday.

“I want to thank our fans. I thought that the atmosphere was electric from the beginning,” Kiffin said afterwards. “Throughout our warm-ups and coming out of the tunnel, seeing it packed like that was awesome. I think players feed off of that. We had a really good start early, got up 10-0, and felt that in the fourth quarter. So, really cool.

“I thought the player and the student relationship, and going down there at the end, and the players having fun with students, is awesome. And whatever that makes, 35-3 or something at home if you’ve been here, if you’ve failed a few classes and been here for five and a half years now as a student.”

Game Balls: Kewan Lacy makes history while carrying Ole Miss past Florida

Ole Miss has now won 10 or more games in a season for the 11th time in program history.

Kiffin has led the Rebels to four of those seasons in his six as Ole Miss head coach. He’s the first coach in Ole Miss history with three consecutive 10-win seasons and has tied John Vaught for the most 10-win seasons all-time.

Ole Miss also secured the first eight-win home season in its history. Kiffin is responsible for the only other two (2021, 2023).

“We didn’t play really well defensively at all in the first half and gave up a big pass play, but we really shut them out in the second half,” Kiffin said. “I think a lot of credit goes to the players, to the assistant coaches for regrouping. And as opposed to the first half, credit to forcing the ball in front of us and just making them earn it and see if we can get them to throw us a pick at some point.

“So, I thought our defense was great in the second half. The offense did a lot of really good things. We left the ball at the one and the three on fourth downs down there. So, obviously, 14 points there, and we scored another time, and a lineman is just watching the play over there and gets called downfield. So, that got taken off the board. But outside of that 5-5 in the field on fourth downs and then defensively to stop them on two fourth downs, I think it’s a really huge part of the game.” 

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