How Lane Kiffin Used Joey Chestnut to Motivate Ole Miss Rebels Prior to Grove Bowl

In an unconventional approach to spring games, the Ole Miss Rebels found some motivation from a world champion prior to Saturday's events in Oxford.

Joey Chestnut participates in the hot dog eating competition at the Grove Bowl Games on Saturday. / Ole Miss Athletics

OXFORD - The Ole Miss Rebels hosted the first-ever Grove Bowl Games on Saturday afternoon with the Blue Team (aided by champion eater Joey Chestnut) falling to the Red Team 71-70 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

The event was a mixture of 7-on-7 drills and other side contests, such as a tug-of-war, hot dog eating contest, and dunk contest. The winning team of each competition earned a certain number of points for their efforts.

One of the biggest highlights of the day was champion eater Joey Chestnut's involvement in the festivities. With the Blue Team facing a large deficit, head coach Lane Kiffin subbed in Chestnut during the hot dog eating contest, a boost that got the squad back in contention for the day's championship.

Although the Blue Team eventually lost after a missed 65-yard field goal from kicker Caden Davis, Kiffin felt the day was a success, especially where injuries are involved.

"I thought that was really neat," Kiffin said in media availability after the games. "A lot went into that. Spent a lot of time in different walkthroughs of events and orders and changing ideas up. The No. 1 thing was no injuries. A lot of times, you stand up here after after a spring game and go through medical reports, so that's really good.

"I hope our fans enjoyed it. I know our players did. We have one more practice, probably Monday, to officially end spring. I thought it was a really good spring for what we wanted to accomplish."

Much of the focus for Kiffin and the Rebels this spring was getting work in while trying to remain healthy, and while tackling will be a focus during fall camp, this "lighter" spring was implemented with hopes of limiting injuries before a critical 2024 campaign.

One person who appeared to be in midseason form, however, was the aforementioned Chestnut who ate 20 hot dogs in one minute and 30 seconds to give the Blue Team the win in that leg of the competition. Kiffin was massively impressed with what he witnessed from the champion on his home field on Saturday.

"There's some appreciation watching on TV, but it's one of those events that, unless you're close up, it's a whole other animal," Kiffin said. "I had a couple players by me that said that's one of the most impressive things they've ever seen in their entire lives."

There was although a method to the madness of having Chestnut on campus. Sure, he's extremely talented in his field and helped with fan engagement, but his origin story in the world of competitive eating was used as a lesson for the Rebels' roster on Saturday.

"We used Joey's story to motivate," Kiffin said. "He said, 'My first competition, I lost.' So, we used that to motivate our guys. It's not how you start; it's how you finish. Michael Jordan got cut from varsity, and Joey lost his first eating competition. You've got to stay with it, and you never know. Now he's the 15-time world champ."

"It's not how you start; it's how you finish." That's a lesson that Kiffin hopes his team carries through the season this fall as the Rebels are eyeing their first-ever College Football Playoff berth.