Lane Kiffin Takes Pride in Ole Miss' Shutout of Furman in Honor of Late Father Monte

Some things are bigger than football, and on Saturday, Lane Kiffin had to face his first game after the passing of his father over the summer.

Aug 31, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin watches during warm ups prior to the game against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports | Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels made quick work of the Furman Paladins on Saturday night, routing the visitors 76-0 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

While pitching a shutout on defense is always a positive sign for a head coach, Saturday's game was a little more special for head coach Lane Kiffin. It was his first game after the passing of his father Monte over the summer, a great defensive mind in the world of football during his life.

Lane stated that this is his first season as a college head coach where he has not had his father on his staff, outside of his final year at USC where his 2013 campaign only lasted five games before his firing. Even so, this is a season in many ways that could be played in honor of Monte, and Ole Miss even placed special decals on its helmets on Saturday to commemorate his impact.

"I thought after the game, it was kind of special as far as me thinking about my dad watching the game and my brother being here and dad's excitement," Kiffin said on Sunday. "Game day was dad's favorite day all the time. ... Pretty neat to be able to have a shutout."

Honoring football legend Monte Kiffin #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/SpkOFrine8

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) August 31, 2024

Ole Miss' defense looked as good as advertised on Saturday, allowing just 172 yards of total offense and racking up 16 tackles for loss alongside four sacks. To put that into perspective, the Rebels almost had as many TFLs as Furman had in net rushing yards (26) in Week 1.

Lane has reunited with his brother Chris who joined the staff as an analyst this offseason, making Saturday's strong defensive performance even more special for the family. Now the task for the Rebels is keeping this defensive momentum going as their schedule wears on, beginning with a home date against Middle Tennessee this Saturday.

Kickoff between the Rebels and Blue Raiders is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network.