By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Deciphering how to defend a Lane Kiffin offense can be about as difficult as figuring out the coach himself.
Kiffin, 51, is a mixture of maverick, offensive genius, up tempo play caller/director and Old School mantras of defense from his father, former NFL defensive coordinator wizard Monte Kiffin (Super Bowl XXXVII champion in 2007 season), and his two mentor head coaches known for defense who shaped his career as well – USC’s Pete Carroll (2003, ’04 national champion) and Alabama’s Nick Saban (2003, 2009, 2011, ’12, ’15, ’17 and ’20 national champion).
Kiffin’s offenses finished No. 3, No. 6, No. 8, No. 13, No. 2 and No. 2 in total yards from 2020-25 at Ole Miss with a No. 2 and a No. 3 in passing and a No. 3 and a No. 10 in scoring the previous two seasons.
But Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who called the plays under Kiffin’s direction from 2022-25 at Ole Miss and followed him in that role to LSU after last regular season, are all about the run.
Ole Miss led the Southeastern Conference in rushing in 2020 (210.6 yards a game) and in 2022 (256.6 a game) with a No. 3 finish in 2021 (217.6 yards), a No. 5 in 2023 (176.3) and 2024 (175.7) and a sixth last season (176.3). The 2022 offense finished third in the nation in rushing.
“That’s a hell of a stat,” Kiffin said when told incorrectly that Ole Miss led the SEC in rushing the last five years at his post practice press conference on Wednesday. “I don’t think that’s accurate, but we’ll take it.”
Kiffin knows the numbers.
“I think that running the ball is very critical,” he said, but how much he and Weis choose to do so depends.
“Each year is different, based off of your team, your situation, the personnel that you have,” he said.
So, he’s not that Old School. He’s not just going to run the ball and keep running the ball, no matter what, like a Bo Schembechler, Pat Dye or Les Miles.
“We don’t do just what we do,” he said. “That’s not how we run systems, programs, whatever. It’s always evolving.”
“I don’t think he has to do anything. There is no edict that he has to have a great year. It’s his honeymoon.”
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) August 7, 2026
… I said about Kiffin on Finebaum. Here is entire segment – https://t.co/OsE5zFuWlE pic.twitter.com/qloBmZ9Pnl
At practices for the next few weeks before the No. 13 Tigers open the 2026 season against No. 23 Clemson in Tiger Stadium on Sept. 5 (6:30 p.m., ABC), he and Weis will be figuring what is best for the personnel they have, particularly a rebuilt and talented offensive line, franchise quarterback in Sam Leavitt, a bevy of new receivers and returning backs Caden Durham and Harlem Berry and transfer Dilin Jones.
“It’s always changing to, ‘What does that team do well? What are the specific needs for who you’re playing?’ All those things,” he said. “I can’t even tell you at this time of year what the team’s going to look like, even what I know already. Just because of the variables that start to happen and injuries and things.”
Count on it being a little of this and a little of that, then a lot of this, and then maybe a lot of that. But he is starting up front.
“Any time in a first year, it’s important that your team has a physicality up front,” he said, echoing Saban. “We’ve tried to recruit to that. We’re not to where we will be some day. But that’s important, I believe. And even though we go fast on offense, and at times we use big receiver splits, and people go, ‘Oh, passing team.’ And the last two years, we’ve had really good passing numbers and touchdown numbers.”
Ole Miss finished second in the nation in passing in 2024 with 350.8 yards a game and third in scoring at 38.6 points a game behind quarterbacks Jaxson Dart in a 10-3, 5-3 season. Last season, the Rebels were No. 3 in passing with 313.3 yards a game and 10th in scoring with 37 points a game with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in a 13-1 season and the College Football Playoff semifinals.
“But to me, when we’ve been really good, you’ve got to be able to run the ball in critical situations, even if you’re throwing the ball a lot during the game and you’re ahead,” Kiffin said. “In this conference, you’re going to have a lot of one-score games.”
Ole Miss went 5-1 in such games against SEC teams last season.
“There’s going to be a lot of them more and more, because of the balance in the conference,” he said. “To me, that comes down to you’re in final possessions, and can you run the ball to make the last one or two first downs? And can you stop them on defense to get one more chance?”
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