Oklahoma Sooners' Brent Venables Praises Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin Ahead of Week 9 Clash

Kiffin and Co. will travel to Norman in Week 9, receives praise from the Sooners' decision-maker.

Oct 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables looks on during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels (6-1, 3-1 SEC) will travel to Norman in Week 9 for a Top-15 SEC showdown against John Mateer and the Oklahoma Sooners.

After dropping a matchup to the Georgia Bulldogs last weekend, Kiffin and Co. will look to bounce back against a fiery Sooner squad on the road.

But Brent Venables' crew will present a unique challenge in Week 9 with a well-coaches program up next for the Rebels.

"They’re coached very well. They’ve had some backups come in and they look similar with how fast they get off the ball. They’ve got really good players that are coached really well. That’s a really good combination in a very aggressive defensive mindset.

"[Venables] plays kind of like some offenses sometimes. Like, when he has them down, he doesn’t get conservative. He’s going to really try to keep going."

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

For Venables, he shared mutual respect for Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels when asked about the challenges the No. 8 ranked program in America can present in Week 9.

“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.”

“It looks like he’s played the game before he even gets to game day in what he wants his guys to do,” Venables added. “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.”

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 13 Oklahoma will kickoff at 11 a.m. CT in Norman with all eyes set to be on the Top-15 matchup on Saturday morning.

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