OXFORD — No. 9 Ole Miss might be undefeated, but there are still things head coach Lane Kiffin wants his squad to get ironed out.
Chief among them? The Rebels’ second-half offense.
Over the last two games — wins over Tulsa and a then-top-10 Kentucky team — Ole Miss (5-0, 1-0 SEC) has scored a combined three points in the second half: a go-ahead 26-yard field goal from senior Jonathan Cruz against the Wildcats on Saturday.
The yardage disparity is evident as well. Ole Miss gained 312 yards in the first half against Tulsa and 150 in the second. Against Kentucky, the Rebels racked up 278 total yards in the first half compared to 121 in the second.
After reviewing the film, Kiffin offered his thoughts Monday on what he’s seen as a potential issue. The Rebels face Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-1) in Nashville on Saturday at 3 p.m. on the SEC Network.
“Well, there’s some red zone, which actually … a year ago was an issue. We were very poor in the red zone, even though we scored a lot of points for the season. And we had done really good in the red zone this year,” Kiffin said. “Not finishing off drives. We have a number of plays where it’s just one thing here or there.”
The Rebels certainly left points on the board inside the opposing 20 against the Wildcats. Ole Miss was 2 of 3 in the red zone and scored 10 points. Sophomore Jaxson Dart threw an interception on the scoreless red zone trip in the second quarter.
For the season, Ole Miss has scored on 88 percent of its red zone trips 24, with 20 resulting in touchdowns. In 2021, the Rebels converted on 75 percent of their 69 red zone trips, scoring 41 touchdowns. That 75 percent mark ranked 115th nationally.
Kiffin also brought up somewhat subjective, drive-killing penalties. One such play — though not occurring in the second half — was an offensive pass interference in the second quarter versus Kentucky called on senior wide receiver Malik Heath. His 17-yard reception put the ball at the Kentucky 5, but the penalty moved it all the way back to the 38. The Rebels would settle for a 53-yard field goal from Cruz.
“… There’s games that you get breaks and there’s games you don’t get breaks and, from the referee part, a lot of things went against us,” Kiffin said. “So, very close calls that can go either way, and you’re going to have some games where you benefit from that. So, we have to not leave it up to that and make the plays ourselves.”
Judkins earns honor second week in a row; Pettus earns first award
Ole Miss freshman Quinshon Judkins has been named the SEC co-freshman of the week for the second week in a row. Judkins ran for 106 yards and a touchdown against Kentucky on Saturday, a key cog in the Rebels’ win. Judkins is second in the SEC with 535 rushing yards.
In the first start of his career, redshirt offensive tackle Micah Pettus was named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week. Senior guard Nick Broeker won the honor earlier this season after the Rebels took down Georgia Tech.
Kiffin named Dodd Trophy coach of the week
Following the win over Kentucky, Kiffin was named the Dodd Trophy coach of the week, which “honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership, and integrity.”
Kickoff time for Auburn game announced
Ole Miss and Auburn will kick off at 11 a.m. Oct. 15 in Oxford. The game will be televised on ESPN.
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