OXFORD − Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin heard the chants.
Midway through the third quarter in No. 5 Ole Miss’ 52-13 win against Georgia Southern (2-2) on Saturday, the Rebels were driving toward the south end zone. When Ole Miss (4-0) got down to the 2-yard line, a murmur of excitement rippled through the fans seated in the Field Club end zone section. Defensive lineman JJ Pegues, big No. 38, was joining the offensive huddle.
Pegues lined up as tight end and blocked, helping running back Matt Jones plow ahead for a yard. The fans, hoping to see the crowd-favorite Pegues get a carry and score a touchdown, were clearly disappointed. So Kiffin made a change.
“I felt bad that he was just going in as a tight end to block,” Kiffin said. “So the next play we put him at running back. Harlem (Henry Parrish), our running back, was mad. I was like, ‘I’ve got to do what they want.’ “
Pegues took a handoff on the next play and plunged forward over defenders. He landed in the end zone for a touchdown.
There were 67,505 fans reported to be attendance at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. It was an Ole Miss record, besting the tally of 66,703 set against LSU last year. Sure, the Rebels are unbeaten and appear to be one of the best teams in the country, but Kiffin says there’s more to setting attendance record that merely trotting out a winning team. There’s something to be said for the way Ole Miss has won.
Sure, touchdowns from Parrish get cheered. But it’s the touchdowns from Pegues, all 325 pounds of him, that get people coming back.
“I think it’s when, first off, you have really good fans that show up,” Kiffin said. “But you have an exciting style of play. Especially in a nonconference game, there’s a bunch of ways to win. If you’re one of the slower offenses, the games aren’t quite as exciting. I think that we are exciting to watch play.”
It’s rubs off on the players, too. How excited do Pegues’ defensive teammates get when he checks in for an offensive play?
“Very excited,” linebacker Pooh Paul said. “We get fired up. I tell JJ every time he gets his troops fired up when he gets that first down. And when he jumps, you’ve got to be ready.”
Ole Miss has scored at least 40 points in all four games. Quarterback Jaxson Dart has thrown for 1,554 yards through four games, the most by an SEC quarterback in the last 20 seasons, according to ESPN. The defense has forced seven turnovers. That’s not normal.
The Rebels celebrate every touchdown with fireworks, a light show, fire extinguishers jettisoning their contents into the air and a dunk on the portable basketball goal wheeled in on the Ole Miss sideline. That’s not normal either.
Kiffin’s recipe seems to be working; maybe even too well. His only gripe with fans have been sections emptying out as the Rebels turn games into blowouts.
“Our main objective is to win and get to 1-0,” Kiffin said. “But we’ve built this thing with some style, hoping that it’s entertaining.”
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football fans want to see Lane Kiffin, Rebels win in style
