Lane's Last Laugh: Ole Miss Runs Rampant Over Texas A&M
This one was personal for Lane Kiffin.
There was nothing coy about what occurred on Saturday night at Kyle Field.
As Ole Miss marched its way to a 31-28 victory over Texas A&M in Week 9, Kiffin got the last laugh. And while comments were breezy on the field, his response to using Jimbo Fisher's comments as motivation was earnest and straightforward.
"It's real. I don't do coachspeak," Kiffin said of his ongoing feud with the fifth-year Aggie coach. "Most coaches would say no. But when someone attacks you personally and calls you and your buddy Coach [Nick] Saban both clowns, you take that personal."
Fisher and Kiffin's rift goes back to February when the Rebels coach commented on the Aggies' top-ranked recruiting class. Ever the wise guy, Kiffin insinuated that the Aggies would "incur a luxury tax with how much they paid for their signing class."
Fisher was less than amused at Kiffin's mockery.
"To have coaches in our league say it? Clown acts," Fisher said in February. "Irresponsible as hell. Multiple coaches in our league, the guys griping about NIL and [the] transfer portal, are using it the most. That's the ironic part. It does piss me off."
Kiffin wasn't clowning around with his comments, but more on that later.
The Rebels (8-1, 4-1 SEC) totaled 390 rushing yards off 63 carries while slowly suffocating A&M (3-5, 1-4) in front of a packed Kyle Field before their bye week. Kiffin unloaded the 1-2 combination of Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans to tire out the defensive front.
That opened the passing attack for quarterback Jaxson Dart, who finished 13-of-20 passing for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Judkins, who turned 19 just before kickoff, tallied a season-high 205 yards off 34 carries and all but iced the game with his 61-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Evans, a former Texas A&M target during the 2020 recruiting cycle, rushed for 108 yards on 17 carries and caught two passes for 30 yards.
"They ended up running for a bunch of yards. We didn't get the run stopped most of the night," Fisher said. "And all that, too, quarterback scrambles in some critical situations."
The Aggies offense showed life in spurts behind the arm of freshman quarterback Conner Weigman. Making his first start, Weigman orchestrated two scoring drives in the first quarter, including connecting with freshman Evan Stewart for a 15-yard touchdown as a sign of what the future entails.
A sloppy mid-game allowed Ole Miss to take a 10-point lead by the start of the fourth quarter. Weigman dealt, connecting with Stewart for a gain of 36 to set up a 2-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas, leaving the Aggies down three.
Then came Judkins. A quick cut past a pair of A&M defenders and he was off to the races to make it a two-score game.
"The running backs did well,” Kiffin said. “I mean, 390 yards rushing against a bunch of five-stars is pretty good.”
Ole Miss' yards were the most allowed by an A&M defense since 2003 when Texas rushed for 393. On that cool November night, Cedric Benson rushed for 283 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries.
Judkins managed to only find the end zone once.
Kiffin has always been one to poke the bear throughout his career. Making snide comments at Fisher has been his pastime as of late.
Prior to the week, Kiffin reiterated Fisher's comments on how the Aggies "we're not getting blown out" in close matchups after losing by six to South Carolina. He followed that up Wednesday by mentioning how Ole Miss wanted to keep defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin but was "outbid" by Texas A&M, calling it a "common theme" within the program.
All that was before kickoff ensure. Three-and-half hours, 530 yards, and a win later, Kiffin had ammunition to retaliate.
That clown act comment laid dormant for months with Kiffin. As he walked off the field for the last time, he dealt one more joke Fisher's way.
"I'm glad we won," Kiffin smirked. "I guess I can be a clown for Halloween now."
The Aggies return to Kyle Field to take on Florida this Saturday at 11 a.m.
You can follow Cole Thompson on Twitter @MrColeThompson
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