Lane Kiffin Recaps Vanderbilt, Previews Auburn in SEC Bout
OXFORD, Miss. -- The No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels play host to the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, and head coach Lane Kiffin is looking to lead his team to its first win over the SEC West foe since his arrival in Oxford.
The Rebels got off to a slow start last Saturday against the Vanderbilt Commodores, but they rallied to take home a 52-28 win. Kiffin was made available to the media this week to discuss last week's game as well as look ahead to this Saturday.
"Very glad we got a road win and how we finished the game," Kiffin said. "Not very pleased with how we started. We didn't tackle very well at all. A lot of work to do.
"Huge game coming up. A team that has beaten us twice and has really good players. We need to improve, and we need our fans to come with a lot of energy."
Kiffin also made reference to a situation mentioned on Saturday’s television broadcast where three of his safeties play “rock, paper, scissors” to determine who gets the start for that game.
"We were in a situation with three really good players who basically play two spots,” Kiffin said. “They can't hold it against us with who starts every week."
Reports also emerged during the week that tight end Michael Trigg will be out for an extended period of time with an injury he sustained during the win over Vanderbilt. While Kiffin did not explicitly comment on Trigg’s injury, he did comment on how late his team’s bye week is in this schedule.
"It is what it is,” Kiffin said. “Whatever the schedule is, I don't worry about it. Sometimes you wish it was at a certain time. Everybody has issues this time of year. We'll do our best and move people around."
The Rebels have fallen to Auburn in each of Kiffin’s two matchups with them since arriving in Oxford. He looks to right that ship on Saturday.
"We haven't done really well offensively in either game,” Kiffin said. “We've got to worry about what we can control, which is playing really well and play a full game. Challenge is now to put it all together."
The Rebels and Tigers will kick off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and the game will be televised on ESPN.
You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.
Hey Rebel Fans! Want to see the Ole Miss in action? Get your Ole Miss game tickets from SI Tickets here!
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rebels? Click Here.
