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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football Practice Report: The 24-Hour Rule
10/4/2021 | Football
Kiffin, Rebels Turn to Arkansas After First Defeat at No. 1 Alabama
OXFORD, Miss. — The 24-hour rule has come and gone for the No. 17 Ole Miss football team. Issues from this past Saturday have been addressed and the team is now preparing for another difficult task this weekend.
Regardless, when head coach Lane Kiffin and players met with the media on Monday, questions still persisted around their humbling 42-21 defeat at top-ranked Alabama. Their biggest concerns were the line of battle and their aggressive, analytical approach that failed to deliver in key situations.
"Obviously a disappointing loss," Kiffin said. "Unfortunately it was what we talked about during the week. When you go into that place against the No.1 ranked team in the country and you don't play really well in all areas, don't execute and make mistakes, they'll knock you down pretty quick. That's what happened."
The Crimson Tide won the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Their defense, in particular, had few issues matching up with the fast pace offense that Ole Miss wants to run.
"We're always looking schematically what we can do better. It appears to me they didn't play a lot of things defensively. They got their cleats in the grass, which was much different than the year before," Kiffin said.
On the flip side, the Rebels struggled on third and fourth down. A few failed fourth down attempts in particular resulted in short fields that Alabama capitalized on in order to gain an early edge. Regardless of the opponent, the Ole Miss coaching staff stayed true to their analytical approach.
"I've been in those discussions when you're saying 'What are we going to do? We're the heavy underdog. Let's keep it close so it doesn't look as bad.' We don't play that way," Kiffin said. "I don't think you win that way when you're the heavy underdog. We followed it and it didn't work. Last year it worked. At the press conference, everyone thought it was brilliant. That's what it is. It's like blackjack."
Looking ahead, both Ole Miss and Arkansas have had their seasons mirror each other near perfectly going into Saturday's top-25 showdown. Both teams entered the season with a second-year head coach, expected to take a step forward and became two of the fastest rising teams in the nation only to suffer their first loss against two of college football's best teams.
"This is the SEC West," Kiffin said. "They run the ball really well. They don't give up explosive plays. They're second in the country in pass defense. This is a scheme we struggled with a year ago. We basically switched to it pretty much on our defense because it's really good. They play super hard."
This weekend's game will feature two of the league's best quarterbacks. Matt Corral has certainly turned heads with his scorching hot start behind center, however, one of SEC's biggest storylines early in the season has also been the sudden emergence of Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson. The Razorback signal caller checks in at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, embodying the way Arkansas like to play: physical.
"It puts the emphasis on to be physical all week," Tavius Robinson said. "It starts on Tuesday's practice. We have to be physical every day and prepare for that."
Kickoff for Saturday's SEC matchup with Arkansas is set for 11 a.m. CT at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPN and can be listened to on the Ole Miss Radio Network.
"We're 1-0 from here on out," Chase Rogers said. "We're working on Arkansas, keeping the right mindset."
Get all the latest information on the team by following @olemissfb on Twitter and Instagram and OleMissFootball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at OleMissSports on Twitter and Facebook and OleMissAthletics on Instagram. To purchase 2021 Ole Miss football season tickets, visit OleMissTix.com.
