It may not have been pretty, but in the Southeastern Conference, a win is a win, at least according to Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin.
The No. 19 Rebels (6-2, 2-2 SEC) trailed at halftime on Saturday against the scuffling Oklahoma Sooners, but they were able to rally the troops in the second half and earn a 26-14 win at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.
There are obviously plenty of things that Ole Miss needs to work on partway through its conference schedule, but Kiffin stated on Monday that he was not going to be overly critical of a win over an SEC opponent.
"I thought [QB Jaxson Dart] played really well," Kiffin said in a press conference. "Was really accurate with the ball, especially with probably the best receiver in the country [Tre Harris] not playing. I thought we pass protected well against a defense that has a great rusher.
"We settled down on defense with the new play caller early. They ran a lot of tricky stuff and took a lot of different shots that way. Settled down and played great, great defense in the second half."
Once Ole Miss adjusted to Oklahoma's new play caller in Joe Jon Finley, Kiffin thinks his team dominated the remainder of the game. That's not far from the truth as the Rebels outscored the Sooners 16-0 after halftime.
The offense still needs some work, but Kiffin doesn't want outside opinions influencing the mood of his locker room. He wants his players to know that improvements are needed while still enjoying capturing a win over an SEC team.
"After rewatching it too, that's a good win," Kiffin said. "I told our guys today, 'Don't let people outside of this room steal your joy about winning in the SEC, especially by two scores and dominating the second half.' That's kind of the world we live in around here now.
"I want our guys to make sure they understand when you win in this conference and you win by two scores, there are things to work on, but also enjoy it, or you end up winning and being miserable."
With its second SEC win in hand, the Rebels will hit the road this week to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. Playing in Fayetteville has not been historically kind to Ole Miss (the Rebels have only won twice there all-time), but it needs a win this weekend if it hopes to rejoin the College Football Playoff conversation next week when the Georgia Bulldogs come to town.
Kickoff on Saturday between Ole Miss and Arkansas is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN.
John Macon Gillespie is the publisher of The Grove Report and has experience on the Ole Miss beat spanning five years.
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