Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin pays tribute to Mike Leach after Egg Bowl win
STARKVILLE — After Ole Miss football won the Egg Bowl on Thursday night, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin paused in the middle of his opening statement postgame to pay tribute to former Mississippi State coach Mike Leach.
Leach defeated the Rebels last November in the final game before his death in December.
"Excited to get the trophy back," Kiffin said. "That was really painful last year to lose that. But, you know, kind of thought maybe that if you're ever going to lose it – once we learned later on that that was Coach Leach's last game – maybe that was meant to be. So, I miss him. Missed him today. And we'll never forget him."
Together, Kiffin and Leach formed one of the most unique in-state coaching duos in college football, with each man known for personality alongside on-the-field product.
Before arriving in Mississippi, they'd coached against each other in the Pac-12, with Kiffin at USC and Leach filling the job at Washington State.
“He was an amazing person and always had such great stories, always enjoyed being around him," Kiffin said on his weekly radio show Tuesday. "I feel like he was brilliant in kind of a different way than maybe the coach speak thing. He was really brilliant that he could have a system, run the same system for 20-30 years and it would still work. I mean, he came into the SEC and threw for 600 yards on LSU that time. Nobody’s done that.”
Why did Ole Miss football turn to Caden Costa to kick its field goal?
When the Rebels' field-goal unit jogged onto the field in the second quarter for what turned out to be its only attempt of the night, they brought a mild surprise with them.
Caden Costa, not usual kicker Caden Davis, was the man who booted through the 36-yard attempt, with Davis handling the holding duties. Costa did not attempt a kick for the Rebels (10-2, 6-2 SEC) last season, and converted 14 of his 17 attempts in 2021.
Kiffin made it sound like the Rebels had a different plan for that play than the one they executed against the Bulldogs (5-7, 1-7).
"Maybe if you look closely, there's something going on there," Kiffin said.
He hinted that tight end Caden Prieskorn, who leaked out into the second level instead of blocking from his place on the edge, did not execute his assignment correctly. Perhaps Davis was better equipped to execute whatever trickery the Rebels had planned than usual holder Charlie Pollock.
EGG BOWL VINDICATION: How Ole Miss football's win over Mississippi State vindicated Lane Kiffin's Egg Bowl approach
Quinshon Judkins' big night for Ole Miss football
Ole Miss sophomore running back Quinshon Judkins surpassed the 1,000-yard threshold for the second time in as many seasons with a 119-yard performance against the Bulldogs.
"I think it's a great milestone," Judkins said. "Just thankful and blessed to be in this position. Thankful for the guys up front. They helped me get through holes."
Things haven't come quite as easily this season for Judkins, who led the SEC with 1,567 rushing yards last year as a true freshman.
In the season's early going, it was clear he wasn't 100% healthy. Kiffin even thought he might miss a game against Georgia Tech before Judkins surprised him and managed to suit up.
But he's still offered plenty of moments of magic, pulling a few out of his bag against the Bulldogs.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football's Lane Kiffin salutes Mike Leach after Egg Bowl
