Lane Kiffin talks balanced offense, emergence of wideout Dontario Drummond
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No. 12 Ole Miss will bring its dynamic offense into Tuscaloosa on Saturday in hopes of pulling off the upset against top-ranked Alabama.
And if Rebels are able to shock the world, it will be done with a balanced offensive attack.
“We do believe in running the ball, even though some people don’t think that,” said Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin during the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. “That’s fine. … We led the SEC in rushing last year, and I think we lead it this year.”
Kiffin was slightly off, as the Rebels are 2nd to Florida in the SEC when it comes to rushing offense, but they do rank 4th nationally with nearly 300 yards per game on the ground.
Of course, Ole Miss also can get it done through the air with Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Corral, who has passed for nearly 1,000 yards and 9 touchdowns in 3 games this season.
Corral’s favorite target in 2021 has been Dontario Drummond, who has 20 receptions for 339 yards and 4 TDs this season.
“He’s really made a bunch of plays and Matt’s gotten comfortable with him,” said Kiffin of his senior wideout. “It’s a good combination. He’s got really good body control. We don’t play him on special teams, but he’d be a great special teams player at the next level. And he’s just really strong.”
Not surprisingly, Kiffin was reminded again Wednesday that Saban is 23-0 against former assistants.
Could Kiffin be the one to end that streak?
“I certainly hope that,” he said. “I’m sure Jimbo (Fisher) does, too. It’s only 23? I thought it was 26. He’s undefeated against almost everybody. There’s a reason he’s the best in college football.”
"Chris Wallace covers college football for Saturday Down South. He has covered college athletics for multiple newspapers and also worked previously for Rivals.com and GolfChannel.com."
