Oklahoma HC Brent Venables on Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin: ‘He’s Done a Great Job’

NORMAN — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables is very familiar with Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin, the Rebels’ coach since 2020, served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016 when Venables was the defensive coordinator at Clemson.

Kiffin and Venables squared off twice during that span: Alabama won the national title over the Tigers in 2015 before Venables and Clemson got their revenge to win the title in 2016.

More recently, Venables and Kiffin battled as head coaches in 2024, when Kiffin led the Rebels to a 26-14 win over the Sooners in Oxford.

Venables said that facing Kiffin-led teams is always challenging, and Saturday’s game against Ole Miss in Norman will be no different.

“Got a really explosive, well-coached Ole Miss team coming in here that lost a heartbreaker last week on the road at Georgia,” Venables said. “Coach Kiffin’s done a great job… got them right back to where they were a year ago.”

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Since arriving in Oxford, Kiffin has made Ole Miss an immediate contender.

The Rebels are 50-19 under Kiffin, and they have hit double-digit wins in three of their five seasons under the veteran coach. In 2024, Ole Miss went 10-3 and narrowly missed out on a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Ole Miss (6-1) suffered its first loss of the 2025 season last week to Georgia. The Rebels led for most of the game before the Bulldogs scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to seal their 43-35 win.

The Rebels rank third in the SEC in total offense (491.9 yards per game) and fourth in scoring offense (37.4 points per game).

Even though Ole Miss lost weapons from its 2024 team like quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Henry Parrish Jr., Kiffin’s offensive genius has allowed the Rebels to remain one of college football’s most electrifying teams.

“It looks like he’s played the game before he even gets to game day in what he wants his guys to do,” Venables said. “They’re well-coached and really sound. They’ve got good balance running the ball. He knows the value of a three-, four-yard run. It goes a long way by the time the fourth quarter gets there. Those body blows in the first half really start to create a lot of explosive plays. He’s done it for a long time at a really, really high level.”

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, a transfer from Division II Ferris State, has surpassed 250 passing yards in each of his first five starts at Ole Miss. Through seven games, running back Kewan Lacy is at 618 yards and 10 touchdowns on 138 carries.

Even though Venables is well aware of Kiffin’s offensive brilliance and the talent across the board on Ole Miss’ offense, he is treating Saturday’s showdown against the Rebels like any other game.

“I look forward to every game day because it presents its own set of challenges every single week,” Venables said. “I look at schemes, the challenges of schemes. Really, it’s a truly nameless, faceless opponent. I’m looking at jersey numbers and what they can do really, really well. This is a player’s game.”