Ole Miss QB Matt Corral Flourishes in Lane Kiffin's Wide-Open Offense

Indiana might be favored in Saturday's Outback Bowl against Ole Miss, but the Hoosiers still have a huge challenge on their hands in slowing down prolific quarterback Matt Corral.

By Nate Gabler, The Grove Report

OXFORD, Miss. – Most people wouldn't have expected Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral to be one of the nation's best passers this year, but he knew what might be possible right away. With his talent getting plugged into new coach Lane Kiffin's offensive system, he could see big things happening. 

Corral hasn't been surprised at all with how successful he's been in the Ole Miss offense this season. 

"It changed the day the new coaches arrived here,'' Corral said of the mood and attitude around the Ole Miss program. "Guys who didn't want to play started doing things the right way. It's completely different. This is Ole Miss football 2020, dot-dot-dot. It changed the second Coach Kiffin got here.''

Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral threw 27 touchdown passes this season, but he also had 14 interceptions. (USA TODAY Sports)

A four-star, pro-style quarterback recruit out of Southern California in 2018, Corral played in the allowed four games while redshirting as a true freshman. In one game against Louisiana-Monroe, he went 10-for-10 with 143 yards and two touchdowns off the bench, adding another 78 yards and another touchdown on the ground. 

However, Corral’s first year as a starter was a struggle. In the Ole Miss offense of 2019 run by offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez, Corral looked far removed from the four-star recruit rating that made him one of 247 Sports’ top 100 players in the nation. He was a 2017 Elite 11 quarterback in high school, along with Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State's Justin Smith – and Indiana's Jack Tuttle, who he will compete with Saturday in the Outback Bowl in Tampa.

Simply put, Corral looked like a bust.

After starting the first six games of 2019, Corral was benched for a more mobile, true freshman in John Rhys Plumlee. Alternating reps for the remainder of the season, Ole Miss would win only two conference games that season. Head coach Matt Luke was fired and, of course, so was Rodriguez.

Insert Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin drew out the 2020 quarterback competition between Plumlee and Corral, but it was apparent early that he had a favorite. When the Rebels took the field in Week 1 this season against No. 5 Florida, everyone across the nation could see what Kiffin saw all training camp.

The Ole Miss offense hung 35 points on a Florida defense ranked inside the top-10 by SP+ that game. Corral, in his first game as a starter under Kiffin, completed 71 percent of his throws for 395 yards, scoring three touchdowns and throwing one interception. He also had another 50 rushing yards. 

They may not have won the game, but Ole Miss with the Kiffin/Corral pairing was fun to watch again.

Corral would go on to put together one of the best passing seasons in Ole Miss history. He finished the SEC-only regular season as the nation’s No. 3 passer in quarterback efficiency. 

If you consider the fact that he had two games this year with over five interceptions (throwing six picks at Arkansas and five at LSU), it’s wild that he could finish that high in overall efficiency. He's thrown for 2,995 yards this season, with 27 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.

That’s how good the rest of his season was.

• Week 2 at Kentucky: 83 percent, 371 total yards, 4 touchdowns, no turnovers.
• Week 6 at Vanderbilt: 91 percent, 435 total yards, 6 touchdowns, no turnovers.
• Weeks 7 vs South Carolina: 88 percent, 533 total yards, 5 total touchdowns, no turnovers.

The numbers were silly at times, but the individual throws were almost more impressive. Despite making it clear that he’ll be returning for another season at Ole Miss – the 2021 QB draft class is loaded — Corral made some throws that likely would’ve vaulted him into the early rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Consider this throw in particular. The ball travels 65 yards in the air on an absolute rope, and couldn’t have been dropped in the receiver’s hands any better by Aaron Rodgers.

This is an unbelievable throw.

Matt Corral could not have put this ball in a more perfect location. Truly beautiful. pic.twitter.com/Mz5JWBJbq4

— Nathanael Gabler (@nategabler) November 28, 2020

"I said (to him) at the time it was a John Elway-type of throw," Kiffin said after that game. "It was 70 yards, and he couldn't have put it any better. To throw it that early, as he did, that's a first-round throw."

The old Corral is gone. In 2019, he seemed lost and couldn't read the field. Sure, he’s had his rough days this year, but he’s still one of the best quarterbacks n the entire nation. And now he wants to prove it one last time this season against a 6-1 Indiana team that's leading the nation in interceptions.

Matt Corral always had the tools. Now, with Lane Kiffin at the helm, he’s gotten a chance to put them all together. 

"It speaks to Matt Corral and how talented he is,'' Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. "At the end of the day, he makes it go.'' 

Editor's Note: Nate Gabler covers Ole Miss for our Sports Illustrated FanNation site The Grove Report. 

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