As the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels approach the end of the 2025 regular season and prepare for what could be their first ever College Football Playoff berth, here is a look at head coach Lane Kiffin’s five biggest games at Ole Miss so far.
These matchups highlight Kiffin’s transformative impact on the program and demonstrate his success in elevating Ole Miss from an SEC bottom feeder to a national contender. So, in no particular order, here are the five biggest games in the Kiffin era.
No. 11 Ole Miss versus No. 10 Penn State (The Peach Bowl) — Dec. 30, 2023
In the 56th annual Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, Ole Miss defeated Penn State 38-25 in Atlanta. Put simply, the Rebels dominated on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart threw for 379 yards, while running back Quinshon Judkins rushed for 106 yards. Future NFL prospects Tre Harris and Caden Prieskorn also showed out, as the duo accounted for 270 of the 485 total offensive yards.
The defense was solid all game, too. Leading the pack was safety Trey Washington with eight solo tackles. Not far behind was defensive end Jared Ivey, who finished with five solo tackles and two tackles for loss. Safety Daijahn Anthony added an interception; the defense held Penn State scoreless in the third quarter.
This victory marked the first 11-win season in Ole Miss history. It was also Kiffin’s second bowl win at Ole Miss — the first being the Rebels’ win in the Outback Bowl against Indiana in 2020.
This Peach Bowl was also Ole Miss’ fourth appearance in one of the esteemed New Year’s Six Bowls, which, at the time, was eighth-highest in the country and third-highest in the SEC.
Ole Miss at Kentucky — Oct. 3, 2020
Kiffin’s first SEC win at Ole Miss came in a shootout overtime win, 42-41, against the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, Ky., in 2020.
The offense was led by quarterback Matt Corral, who was 24/29 for 320 yards. Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo led the Rebel receivers with 128 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow wideout Elijah Moore added 92 yards and the game-winning touchdown, while tight end Kenny Yeboah had 82 yards and a touchdown.
At one point, the Rebels were down 28-14. It was the Rebels’ first overtime win since 2004.
This comeback and overtime win marked a turnaround for Ole Miss. In Kiffin’s second game as head coach, Ole Miss fans were introduced to the staples of Kiffin’s system — big plays, fast tempo and a high-volume passing game.
No. 13 Ole Miss at Tennessee – Oct 16, 2021
Though the Rebels finished only 5-5 in the regular season in Kiffin’s first year in Oxford, they ended their season with a win over Indiana in the Outback Bowl. The next season, joined by a band of transfers and recruits, the No. 13 Rebels traveled to Knoxville, Tenn. to face the 4-2 Volunteers. The Rebels won the game 31-26.
Only two weeks before, Ole Miss lost 42-21 to No. 1 Alabama and narrowly beat No. 13 Arkansas 52-51 at home the week before. This was a statement road win for the Rebels in one of the most hostile environments in the SEC.
Moreover, this game was personal for Kiffin; he was hired as head coach by Tennessee in 2008 but left after only one season to take the same position at the University of Southern California.
Tennessee fans were more than disgruntled. During this game over a decade later, emotions ran high. After a controversial call late in the fourth quarter, Tennessee fans hurled trash onto the field, and play was temporarily paused for about 20 minutes. The band and cheerleaders were ushered off the field for their safety. In the end, 51 fans were ejected from the game and 18 were arrested. The University of Tennessee was fined $250,000.
At the end of the game, Kiffin caught a water bottle that a fan threw at him, then slung his own visor into the crowd.
The overall attendance was 102,455, and Tennessee made $547,726 from alcohol sales alone.
On the field, though, the Rebels took care of business. Corral rushed 30 times for 195 yards. He also threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns. This victory was the Rebels’ first win in Neyland Stadium since 1983.
No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 2 Georgia — Nov. 11, 2023
The 8-1 Rebels traveled to Athens, Ga., to face the 9-0 Bulldogs. This was the last season before the playoff was expanded to 12 teams; with only four playoff spots on the table, this game carried major implications for two teams jockeying for control of the conference.
The game started out promising for the Rebels. On the opening drive, Dart and the offense stormed down the field in five plays, and a Judkins run earned them a 7-0 lead.
From there, things went south. Georgia finished the game with 259 total yards more than Ole Miss. The Bulldogs also scored points on all eight of their drives, racking up 52 points on the Rebel defense. Georgia won 52-17.
This game was a reality check for Ole Miss. The Rebels’ only loss prior to this game came against Nick Saban and Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. This loss showed the gap that still existed between historically elite SEC programs and the rising Ole Miss program.
Still, this game indicated how the narrative had shifted surrounding Kiffin and Ole Miss. No longer were fans asking whether Ole Miss could compete in the SEC; now, the question was what would it take for Ole Miss to finally get over the hump and become a top team in the conference.
More specifically, this game exposed Ole Miss’ lackluster defense, especially its shortage of depth in the trenches. Kiffin addressed both areas of need in the transfer portal and defeated Georgia the very next year thanks to that improved defensive unit.
No. 20 Ole Miss versus No. 13 LSU — Sept. 30, 2023
On a sunny September day, LSU’s future Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels and the No. 13 Tigers came to Oxford to face the 3-1 Rebels. In a high-scoring bout between two high-powered offenses, Ole Miss won 55-49.
The game could not have started much better for the Rebels. To open the game, Dart led the offense on a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Judkins receiving touchdown on fourth-and-goal.
The defense made some noise on LSU’s second drive, when Daniels scrambled out of the pocket looking for running room and was hit hard by Rebel safety Daijahn Anthony. Daniels fumbled, and the Rebels recovered.
In classic Kiffin fashion, the rest of the game was a shootout. Dart completed 26 passes for 389 yards, including several explosive plays. His favorite target was Harris, who went for 159 yards on eight receptions. Judkins added 177 rushing yards.
After Daniels’ pass fell incomplete on the last play of the game, Rebel fans leapt from the stands and stormed the field. This win was more than just an upset against one of the best teams in the conference; it was a morale-boosting statement that Ole Miss was, in fact, at the same level as perennial SEC powers like LSU.
