'They kind of mesh well together': Looking at a Charlie Weis Jr. - Lane Kiffin Ole Miss offense
Lane Kiffin is entering his third season at Ole Miss and a third season helping lead the Rebel offense. For the first time since he arrived in Oxford Kiffin is working with a new offensive coordinator in Charlie Weis Jr.
From the sounds of things not much is going to change with an offense under new leadership. Weis is serving as a co-offensive coordinator with tight ends coach John David Baker.
Weis’ hiring was announced in January shortly after Ole Miss wrapped up the 2021 season in New Orleans after suffering a Sugar Bowl loss. For the past six months Weis has gotten acclimated to running the Ole Miss offense while trying to implement his own style of things.
So far the reviews are positive within the Ole Miss locker room.
“It’s really cool to see them work together,” said offensive lineman Nick Broeker of Kiffin and Weis. “They’ve worked together in the past. They kind of mesh well together. It’s cool to learn from both of those guys. They really see eye-to-eye and on the same page. It’s really fun to be around, you know, both of those offensive geniuses.”
Weis’ arrival to Ole Miss is a reunion of sorts as Kiffin got the band back together, so to speak after working in previous stops.
During Kiffin’s time as the head coach at Florida Atlantic, Weis served as the offensive coordinator for the Owls. The pair also worked together at Alabama on Nick Saban’s staff.
When it comes to the the offense and any grand schematic changes in philosophy there appears not to be any drastic departure from what former coordinator Jeff Lebby and Kiffin did the previous two seasons.
During the Grove Bowl, Ole Miss ran 129 total plays between the Red and Navy teams, averaging out to 64.5 plays per team. Of course a spring intrasquad scrimmage is not indicative of what Ole Miss will do against actual opponents this fall, but the break-neck pace seems to still be there.
“In (Kiffin’s) offense, you just got to play fast and be ready for a new change every other drive because he’s always cooking something up,” said receiver Jonathan Mingo. “So we just gotta be ready as a receiver.
“You gotta be detailed because everybody has talent in the SEC. It’s the hardest conference in the country. So you got to make sure your technique is right, be able to read the coverage, and make sure you’re in the right position at the right time. But nothing comes easy in SEC.”
Related: Healthy once again, Jonathan Mingo ready to become a leader in the Ole Miss locker room
Despite the addition of Weis, Kiffin is still involved in the creation of the offense. That includes bringing out the analytics book in key situations.
Ole Miss set a new college football record with 49 attempts on fourth down in 2021. The previous record was 46. For better or worse, going for it on fourth down has not been an issue for Kiffin. Relying on what the situation is and what the book recommends in that situation is what he goes by.
That train of thought is going to remain in the offense in 2022.
“I think that’s an interesting stat, when you talk about recruiting and players, once they get there,” Kiffin said. “We sell, too, that we believe in you. It’s not just analytics. That’s a huge part of it, but the players feel we believe in you, we put you in those situations, we play so aggressively.
“So I can’t predict what that’s going to be like year to year as far as fourth down attempts. It’s not easy. Like anything, if everything was easy, everybody would do it. I get a lot of coaches don’t follow the analytics because it’s very hard for that press conference afterwards or that stadium to turn on you when it doesn’t work.”
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