'He's Unique': Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin Defends In-State Rival Mike Leach
Lane Kiffin made sure to correct a reporter when talking about the characters found in the state of Mississippi in terms of coaching. Naturally, the Ole Miss coach is the leading candidate thanks to his sarcasm and witty demeanor.
In second place? One would argue the bold, brash and brilliant coaching style of Deion Sanders at Jackson State. Kiffin would like to remind the world outside of SEC circles that Mississippi State's Mike Leach still exists.
"We’ve got another personality in Mike Leach,” Kiffin said Monday at SEC Media Days. “(So) I would say there are three personalities in the state that are very unique and extremely different from each other.”
Leach and Kiffin both were hired following the 2019 season to replace Joe Moorhead and Matt Luke, respectively. With the arrival of the duo, the historic Egg Bowl has grown in attendance both at Vaught-Hemingway and Davis Wade Stadium along with viewership on television.
So far, Kiffin holds a 2-0 lead over the Bulldogs since his arrival in Oxford, including a 31-21 victory on the road to last fall to cap off the Rebels' first 10-win regular season in program history.
”Until you get into those unique rivalries – you can watch them on TV like I used to on Thanksgiving or hear about them – but you really don’t know until you get to a place like Mississippi, and you see how much it means to people," Kiffin said.
“They’re not kidding when they say their next 364 days will be affected."
Leach and Kiffin both understand that winning the Egg Bowl could be the difference of adding a highly touted prospect from the state. Last offseason, former MSU receivers Malik Heath and Jacobi Moore left Starkville to join one of the nation's top transfer classes.
One player who understands the importance of owning bragging rights over its opponent is Rebels' receiver Jonathan Mingo, who committed to play at the 'Sip in 2017 after Ole Miss' 31-28 upset over the Bulldogs. Since arriving on campus in 2019, Ole Miss won two of the last three matchups with State.
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