Ole Miss Football: Lane Kiffin And Rebels Grind Thru Practice

The 2020 Ole Miss football season is just under two weeks away and coach Lane Kiffin and the Rebels are getting ready on the practice field.

The 2020 Lane Kiffin edition of Ole Miss football is just around the corner with just under two weeks left before kickoff. After a long and very stressful offseason, Ole Miss fans have had questions and many have been unanswered. Many of those questions have been related to the effects of COVID-19 on the college football season. The two major questions have been if and when there would be a college football season. Now, those two questions have been answered.

Naturally, Rebels fans have also had questions about Ole Miss football. They have been chomping at the bit to see what first-year head coach Lane Kiffin can do to put the Rebels back on the college football map. They have also been waiting to see what, if any, improvements have been made amid the chaos of a pandemic affected spring and summer. While those answers may not come soon enough and may not be what is hoped, the waiting is almost over and the answers will come. The good news is that Lane Kiffin and the Rebels are deep into fall practice.

Practice Is As Expected

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While this season will be like no other we have ever seen because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have to appreciate the fact there will be football. With the onset of the 2020 college football season, we can be sure there will be practice.

Of course, with Ole Miss football practice there will be certain elements that will simply be a part of the bigger picture. There will be new coaches, new players, and news and updates from the practice fields in Oxford.

Weeks ago it was announced by Lane Kiffin that he would institute his entire offensive system. Those of us who are familiar with the Kiffin system knew this would be a tall task to accomplish. However, it seems as though Kiffin is doing just that.

Defensively, we have been hoping for a rebirth of what Ole Miss football was once known for. Rebels fans have missed the days where Ole Miss fielded a defense that could be successful and be a game-changer. With two great co-defensive coordinators who have proven to be successful in the past, Rebels fans should expect to see improvement.

Other Elements To Consider

As with any season, a hard fall practice regimen will bring other elements. One that no player, coach, or fan wants to see is the injury status. After several weeks of practice, the Rebels are just like any other college football team that has been practicing hard. There have been some injuries but none which are so serious as to sit a player for a significant amount of time. However, there have been bumps and bruises.

We know the secondary has been affected both by injury and COVID-19 issues which were reported by Ben Garrett of OMSpirit.com after the first scrimmage early in fall camp. The injury bug is simply a part of the preamble for college football. However, the COVID issue is something that all teams are having to deal with.

According to Ben Garrett this past week, Kiffin stated the Rebels have had 27 players who were either out of practice because of injury or COVID-19. This sounds like a difficult situation for a new head coach getting ready for a new 10-game SEC only season. It’s a catch-22. While projected starters and backups may be out younger players are getting valuable practice time and it is building much-needed depth.

The Quarterback Situation

Lane Kiffin has already established the No.1 spot is up for grabs and we know both John Rhys Plumlee and Matt Corral have been competing for the first snaps against the Gators in the season opener. With less than two weeks of practice and one Saturday scrimmage left, the battle for the starting spot could become heated and could be a last-second call from Kiffin and OC Jeff Lebby.

Recently Plumlee was being held out precautionary because of a tweaked hamstring. During this time Corral worked entirely alone with the No.1s. Grant Tisdale, Kinkead Dent, and Kade Renfro have all been working with the No.2s. The quarterback depth chart in the end will be a good one regardless of how it plays out. All are very good.

Next. The Ole Miss Quarterbacks!. dark

Over the coming days, Lane Kiffin and his staff will be working hard on the final preparations for the season opener against the Florida Gators. Please be sure to check back here at OHT for the latest Ole Miss football news and updates from the practice field. Also, be sure to check OHT out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Stay safe and as always Hotty Toddy!

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