Lane Kiffin Believes Ole Miss Rebels are 'Different' Than Last Season When Facing Adversity

The Ole Miss Rebels head coach thinks that this year's installment of his team is better suited to handle adversity during games.

Not every win has been pretty for the No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels, but at the end of the day, that doesn't matter. 

What does matter, however, is that Lane Kiffin's team is 6-1 and has shown a great amount of resiliency in the early portions of this season. When adversity has hit during games, this team has yet to fold, and it has mounted some comeback efforts as a result.

Kiffin spoke to that fact on Monday, and he believes that this year's team is better suited to handle these stressors than the 2022 squad.

"I think you see it more in adversity," Kiffin said. "The first day of camp, everybody's excited and does well. That's easy. I think it's more when games don't go well early-on in a game or you lose a game like Alabama, then you hit adversity and see how players react. 

"Everyone says they're all-in right away. When things don't go well right away, then what happens? That's where I feel that this team is different."

Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin throws the ball around during warm ups before Auburn Tigers take on Mississippi Rebels at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 :: © Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

He may be right. Quarterback Jaxson Dart and other players have alluded to the fact that this team feels more "mentally tough" than last year's bunch who lost five of its last six games to end the season at 8-5 overall. With key conference games looming on the schedule, can the Rebels avoid a similar fate in 2023?

If the first seven games are any indication, the answer appears to be "yes."

Ole Miss will look to keep its momentum rolling this weekend when it plays host to the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network.