Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin Talks Early Kickoff Against Washington State

Sep 27, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts during the second quarter against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ole Miss has gotten off to a flaming 5-0 start, and they look to extend their undefeated streak against Washington State this Saturday.

Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin has once again showcased his coaching prowess in the early stages of the 2025 campaign, leading the team to a Top-5 ranking despite his Week 1 starting quarterback, Austin Simmons sidelined with an injury.

Before the program's heavily favored matinee matchup against the Cougars in Week 7, he spoke to the media about the upcoming contest.

Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin on his overall view of Washington State as an opponent

"[Washington State] throws the ball really well. You know, on defense, they're sound in what they do, and like I said, they they've they've played some really good games of defense. They had some lopsided games, like the Washington game, which got out of control late, and both those games, North Texas and Washington, they had a lot of turnovers in the game that set up really short fields. So, this is a really big challenge for us, our first early game like this, and hopefully we play well. We practice early every day, so you know, that shouldn't be a shock to our players.

Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin on not underestimating Washington State with higher-profile matchups ahead

"[The future games] have nothing to do with [this game], everybody has tough matchups in this conference and, you know, said it for a while now and I think that you guys are seeing it. This conference is like the NFL. Everybody can beat everybody, and everybody can lose to everybody in this conference, and you're seeing it. Every week is a battle, and I think it's just different than every other conference. This week, it's a great challenge for us to play these guys and come back after a bye week and improve."

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MORE: 5 Ole Miss Players to Watch Out For As Washington State Travels To SEC Country

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Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin on the new PAC-2 alignment

"I think the whole thing is sad. You know, the whole conference alignments and especially that one. There's so much history in that, and you know, USC, UCLA, and the conference and the PAC-8, then 10, then 12. Now they're flying all over the country, and teams flying out there on these weird kickoff times. And I understand it. All these decisions made by conferences and schools are always about money. I get it. It is what it is. I don't think it's good outside of the money. I think it's bad for the kids and their travel and their school and rivalries, and fans. Especially that conference where everybody's way over there, and it's just the whole thing's sad."

Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin on the Rebels' defensive analysis prior to the Washington State matchup

"I kind of look at the whole thing and, not just stat rankings, kind of like how they do, you know, with the committee and records, and they put teams here instead of just how stats. To me, that really shows. It doesn't focus on records only, you know, it really focuses on who you played and how you played late in the game, and all those things in the analytics and the metrics."

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