Ole Miss Rebels Lane Kiffin Earns Bonus In Egg Bowl Win
Lane Kiffin will be pocketing more than just his third Egg Bowl win this offseason.
Kiffin, who led Ole Miss to a 17-7 win over Mississippi State, will earn $150,000 for the victory, according to USA Today. Kiffin also led the Rebels to its second 10-win regular season in program history.
Per his contract, Kiffin will make $150,000 for every SEC win beginning with the fifth conference victory. The fourth-year Rebels coach posted a 6-2 record in conference play, totaling wins over LSU, Arkansas, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
Kiffin also earned another $500,000 in bonus money for defeating the Bulldogs on Thanksgiving.
Far from an elite outing, the No. 12 Rebels (10-2) punched their way through a sluggish start to a strong finish. Caden Costa drilled a 36-yard field goal to give Ole Miss the 3-0 lead heading into halftime. The Bulldogs (5-7, 1-7 SEC) responded with a 1-yard touchdown run from Will Rogers in the third quarter.
Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart celebrates an Egg Bowl win
© Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK
Quinshon Judkins bulldozed his way ahead for a 2-yard score to retake the lead with 4:33 remaining in the third. Jaxson Dart sealed the victory with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Caden Prieskorn.
"His leadership skills and his toughness can't be questioned," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said of Dart's performance. "You saw the hit he took. He's going back in there before you can even get him to not go in, so you had no choice to hold him out."
Sitting with double-digit wins, Ole Miss could return to a New Year's Six Bowl for the first time since 2021. Currently, 11 FBS teams hold a 9-1 record or better, including No. 23 Tulane, whose lone loss came to the Rebels in Week 2.
Chaos must occur for the Rebels to be locked in for the New Year's Six bid, but Kiffin seems locked into the future of football in Oxford. And depending on who Mississippi State hires to replace Zach Arnett, Thursday's Egg Bowl win could be the start of a streak.
