Lane Kiffin Optimistic Following Alabama Loss, Cites 2021 Season

The Ole Miss Rebels head coach was made available to the media on Monday, and he seemed in positive spirits even after a disappointing loss on Saturday.

OXFORD, Miss. -- After a disappointing loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin was surprisingly optimistic at the podium during media availability on Monday.

Kiffin is obviously not pleased with his team's performance last week, and who could blame him? But he has also placed some positive spin on where his team currently sits as it enters Week 5 against the LSU Tigers.

The coach mentioned that there were a few specific players who were "down" about their performance against Alabama. Kiffin reportedly posted a parable on doors around the Manning Center focused on "controlling what you can control" in an attempt to uplift their spirits entering this pivotal week. He also noted how quickly fan opinions can shift after a single loss in college football.

"One team is great, and the next week, they're horrible," Kiffin said. "It was really just about you don't know why things happen, and you've got to worry about what you can control. Sometimes ends up being a great thing.

"Can't control that now. There may be some good reason for it down the road."

There are currently two paths for Ole Miss moving forward after Saturday. On one hand, it can replicate its 2021 response to its loss against Alabama, rebounding and finishing the year at 10-2 and in an access bowl. The other option is allowing this loss to "snowball" like it did a year ago, leading to a disappointing finish to the season.

"Our challenge is to get better this week," Kiffin said. "We happened to be in this situation two years ago. Went 3-0, went into Alabama and played a lot worse (than Saturday). Ended up coming back from that game and went 10-2. Got a lot of football in front of us.

"I think last year was a little bit different where we were potentially going 9-1 at that point if we'd finished that drive off against Alabama. I think it's very different (this year), and every year is a different team."

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Another optimistic note from Kiffin came at the wide receiver position. Last week, receivers Zakhari Franklin and Tre Harris returned to action along with tight end Caden Prieskorn after suffering injuries either during fall camp or early in the season.

Now, Kiffin is expecting his offense to look sharper in the passing game with these weapons returning, admitting that it would take some adjusting for them to get back to game speed.

"I think that was a really difficult situation for them," Kiffin said. "Neither (Franklin or Prieskorn) had played, both returning from surgeries. Three significant pieces coming back from surgeries trying to play. Two hadn't played all year.

"They'll obviously get better having some game experience with their injuries. They just needed to get in game shape and play through some games. I've always kind of known that our best was to come knowing that we didn't have those guys yet. I think the future is really exciting that way."

The absence of freshman Ayden Williams has also hindered his offense so far. Williams has seen some snaps, but his action has been limited, something that Kiffin hopes to resolve this week.

"Ayden was doing great," Kiffin said. "He actually got sick and missed some time. We've got to get him back involved. He's got a chance to be a really special player like you saw in camp. Hopefully, this will be the week."