Lane Kiffin Offers Encouraging Words Following Ole Miss' Loss to LSU

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin wants his team and fans to stick together during this recent adversity.

Oct 5, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin calls timeout against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels were dealt a devastating blow on Saturday night in terms of their College Football Playoff chances as they fell to the LSU Tigers 29-26 in Baton Rouge.

Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2 SEC) is now in a bye week as it prepares to host the Oklahoma Sooners on Oct. 26. While the Rebels have struggled to finish two of their three conference games this season, head coach Lane Kiffin wants his team and fans to stick together as the season wears on.

He shared his message to the team and to fans on Monday.

"I just made sure [the team] understood what was going on and looked at the whole season together and how close they are to being undefeated," Kiffin said. "I know a lot of people can say that, but very rarely are games down to the last play like both ours have been.

"We've been ahead by four points in both of them with the ball and a chance to make it two scores and put the game away. Didn't do it."

Ole Miss is not mathematically eliminated from the College Football Playoff, but it has a lot of work to do in order to return to that conversation. The Rebels likely would need to win out and perhaps get some help from outside sources to find themselves in the 12-team field at season's end.

Kiffin understands the fan base's angst following Saturday's loss, but his message to them is the same as his team.

"I encourage our fans to stick together," Kiffin. "Again, we're talking about a one-play game or else we're saying, 'What a great win in a hard place to play.' A place we hadn't won in 16 years or at night in 23 years. That kind of shows you that's been a hard place for Ole Miss to play, and we were ahead the whole game and one play away from closing it out."

Kiffin isn't throwing in the towel just yet. He believes his team is very talented, and there is a lot of football to play between now and the end of the regular season.

"A lot left to play for," Kiffin said. "I told them they're a really good team. We're just not finishing like a great team would, or we're undefeated right now."