What Does Lane Kiffin Want to See From Ole Miss Before Road Test at Wake Forest?

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin revealed what he is looking for from his team in the upcoming trip to Wake Forest.

Sep 7, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) talks with head coach Lane Kiffin on the sideline during the first half against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels have dominated the first two games of their season, outscoring opponents by a combined total of 128-3. But the road gets more difficult this week.

Ole Miss is scheduled to travel to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, and while the Rebels seem to be more than talented enough to handle the task, going on the road is a different animal than playing at home.

Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin thinks that his team has a bit of an advantage with the experience on the roster, but there are still a few things he wants to focus on this week.

"I think that there's a lot to that, when you mention a veteran team that's played a lot of road games," Kiffin said on Monday. "They haven't necessarily played together, so there's a challenge with that, but they're not true freshmen, so that's a good thing. You've got to just weather storms when you're on the road, and it's not what you're used to.

"Obviously, the crowd plays into homefield advantages at certain places, but also just familiarity that people are naturally more comfortable where they're used to [being]. It's like being in your house vs. a hotel."

This isn't the first time that Ole Miss has traveled to an ACC opponent under Kiffin. In 2022, the Rebels went to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech, a game they won 42-0. Kiffin emphasized that "every team is different" on Monday, but he also made note that Ole Miss has done well in trips like this under his leadership.

"A couple of years ago, we went to another ACC opponent in Georgia Tech and were concerned about that," Kiffin said. "Played really well, stopped the run and ran the ball."

Outside of preparing for the road atmosphere, one thing that needs to improve this week for Ole Miss is its play in the secondary. Kiffin has complementary of Wake Forest quarterback Hank Bachmeier, and he also noted that the Rebels pass defense did not perform up to par last week.

But maybe the level of play wasn't as bad as it first seemed.

"I just thought it was sloppy, and it was on us," Kiffin said. "It was just miscommunication or missed coverages or who has who.

"I really thought after watching, it probably wasn't as bad as I felt during the game, and it should be easy to fix, I told them. It's not like there were physical issues. It was mental breaks and lapses, especially as the score got lopsided."

Ole Miss and Wake Forest will kick off at 5:30 p.m. CT on Saturday evening, and the game will be televised on The CW.