Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin gives Pittman 'credit' ahead of matchup with Razorbacks

Rebels coach speaks on former Hogs ahead of SEC opener for Arkansas

Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin on the sidelines against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When Arkansas lost to Ole Miss in 2024, offensive lineman Patrick Kutas, tight end Luke Hasz and cornerback Jaylon Braxton were on the home sideline at Razorback Stadium.

This year, they'll be on the home sideline again. All three transferred to Ole Miss in the offseason. In the buildup to the matchup Saturday, neither coach would bite into feeding the other bulletin board material.

"I’ve changed my mind a time or two in my life too," Pittman said. "He’s [Kutas] starting for them at right guard, doing a good job."

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin opted to praise Arkansas coach Sam Pittman on Wednesday's SEC teleconference after interacting with the former Razorbacks.

"Kutas has done a really good job," Kiffin said. "[He's] really a great leader. Really brings great work ethic. A lot of credit to him. A lot of credit to [Arkansas] coach Sam [Pittman], too. When we get guys from certain programs, we can tell that they’ve been trained really well, how they work."

Mississippi Rebels offensive linemen Patrick Kutas (75) blocks during the second quarter against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The other two transfers have not seen the field yet due to injury. Hasz is still slowly rehabbing an ankle injury that he suffered in the offseason. He was listed as out in each of the four SEC availability reports released last week in Ole Miss's 30-23 win over Kentucky. Kiffin hinted that Hasz "might be available" this week.

Braxton is dealing with an undisclosed injury. On the first two availability reports for the Kentucky week, Braxton was listed as questionable before being downgraded to Out. The initial report for the Arkansas game will be released 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Kiffin also spoke on the challenges that the Arkansas defense will present. The unit has only allowed two touchdowns through the first two games against Alabama A&M and Arkansas State.

Most of the starters in the Rebels' 63-31 win from last year's secondary when quarterback Jaxson Dart became just the second player in SEC history to have over 400 passing yards and five touchdowns in a conference game, have been replaced.

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive lineman Landon Jackson gets to Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart as he releases the ball in a 63-31 loss on Nov. 2, 2024, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Walt Beazley-Arkansas Communications

"They play really hard and playing really fast and give people a lot of problems and play as well as anybody," Kiffin said. "We’re going to have to deal with their improved speed on defense and we’re going to have to be ready for a lot."

Kickoff between Arkansas and Ole Miss is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Fans can listen the game on the Razorbacks Sports Network on ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.