The Parts of Lane Kiffin’s Offense Ole Miss Should Keep — and What Must Change

The Rebels had a top offense in the country last year, but still could improve on it this season.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin walks off the field during a college football game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Call him what you want, but Lane Kiffin is a great offensive coach.

He helped Ole Miss become the 10th-best offense in the country for points per game last season. A lot of his schemes worked and tired out many defenses across the SEC.

The Rebels' new offensive coordinator, John David Baker, should retain a lot of those schemes, but needs to improve on some areas Kiffin struggled with.

Pace of play

Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy runs the ball and scores a touchdown during the first round of the College Football Playoff against Tulane | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Last year, the Rebels ranked sixth in the country for tempo play percentage. This means that the Ole Miss offense was efficient last season. They snapped the ball every 23.6 seconds.

This style of offense needs to be kept by Baker. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has had another year to become more comfortable with this kind of pace and knows exactly how to run an efficient drive.

The best example of this speed came in the first round of the College Football Playoff against Tulane. The Rebels marched 75 yards down the field for a touchdown in just 59 seconds. There was a 30-yard strike to De’Zhaun Stribling, followed by a 25-yard pass to Dae’Quan Wright, and the drive finally finished with Kewan Lacy running 25 yards for six.

Chambliss can get his offense down the field fast, and Lacy can break a big run at any time. Baker must emphasize that kind of pace in his offense.

Adaptability

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss talks to Miami Hurricanes linebacker Cam Pruitt after losing the CFP Fiesta Bowl against Miami | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While the Rebels' speed on offense was great, it didn’t come without consequence.  Their quickness was a major factor in the two games they lost last year.

Scoring fast is great for Ole Miss, but sometimes a quickly run offense leads to a quick three-and-out.

A large reason Ole Miss lost to Georgia and Miami was that their defense was tired. The Rebels' offense was so quick that former defensive coordinator Pete Golding's squad never got a break.

That was evident in the Week 8 matchup against the Bulldogs. Ole Miss started off the game by scoring five straight touchdowns, but Georgia never punted once that whole game. When the Rebels' offense did finally stall, their defense was taken advantage of.

The same thing happened in the Fiesta Bowl. The Rebels' offensive drives would end so quickly that the defense never got a breather, and Miami quarterback Carson Beck had all day to throw.

Baker is going to need to realize when his defense needs a break and be able to have a slow, methodical drive. This is doable if Baker puts a heavier emphasis on the run and getting to the line of scrimmage more slowly.

There are things to take and things to learn from Kiffin’s style of offense, and if Baker can do that, the Rebels will have a great chance for a National Championship.

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