Lane Kiffin Wants 'Every Week' Mentality After Ole Miss' Week 1 Shutout of Furman

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin wants his team's performance on Saturday to snowball into more domination this week.

Aug 31, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (right) talks to quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) during the second half against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels struggled very little against the Furman Paladins on Saturday, claiming a 76-0 win to open the 2024 college football season. After such a dominating performance, what's the next step?

Head coach Lane Kiffin was specifically asked on Monday about how quarterback Jaxson Dart can build off his impressive showing during the rest of non-conference play. Throwing for over 400 yards and logging six total touchdowns in two quarters is tough to match, but Kiffin wants his quarterback to not rest on his laurels and let Saturday spur a string of strong offensive performances.

"It's just a half of football, and I reminded these guys that you've got to do it every week," Kiffin said. "I think last year, he had a really big game and we had a really big game on offense in the opener, and then Week 2 went to Tulane and didn't play very well. What you did before doesn't have anything to do with the next week. He needs to prepare really well, and we need to play well around him."

That starts with a home date against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders this week. MTSU struggled at times in its opener, but it did manage to claim a 32-25 win over FCS Tennessee Tech despite being outgained 341-328 in total offense.

On paper, Ole Miss should be able to handle the Blue Raiders on Saturday, given that the Rebels are favored by more than 40 points in Vegas. But the emphasis for Dart and company is continuing to meet the standard that they have set for themselves in preparation for the season, one where stellar performances on both sides of the ball are not surprises.

"Quite honestly, it's kind of what we expected going into it," Dart said on Saturday of the dominating performance. "That's just kind of the standard that we want to play at and excel at. Big thing for us is trying to control what we can control, and regardless of the score and situation, go into each and every play with the same mindset."

Ole Miss and Middle Tennessee will square off at 3:15 p.m. CT on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and the game will be televised on SEC Network.