Lane Kiffin’s Run-Heavy Mississippi Offense Is As Prolific — And Frenetic — As Ever

Though it culminated with a painful flop within the Sugar Bowl, the 2021 season was a momentous one for coach Lane Kiffin and the Mississippi Rebels. In his second season in Oxford, Kiffin led the Rebels to their first-ever 10-win common season and, relying in your most popular metric, one of many program’s greatest campaigns of the previous 50 years.¹

Then, nearly everybody accountable for it left.

Between the NFL Draft and different types of attrition, an offseason exodus claimed the group’s All-American defensive finish, main tackler, prime 4 rushers, some of the prolific quarterbacks at school historical past and the offensive coordinator. Mississippi scored an SEC-best 33 speeding touchdowns in 2021, however opened fall camp and not using a single participant accountable for any of them. The Rebels secured practically a fifth of its 2022 roster from the switch portal. 

Six weeks into the 2022 season, the contemporary expertise and completely different perspective haven’t price the Rebels on the scoreboard. Actually, beneath the steerage of recent co-offensive coordinators Charlie Weis Jr. and John David Baker, a run-heavy philosophy has taken maintain in Mississippi.

“There’s numerous new,” Kiffin succinctly mentioned in March of the 30-plus new faces on his group. “There’s numerous various things, however that comes with success. And alter is sweet. It’s a must to embrace change, and new individuals have new concepts.” 

Kiffin and his coordinators have dialed up a run on 58.5 p.c of offensive snaps, a rush fee 10.2 proportion factors increased than it was a season in the past and the second highest single-season fee of any in Kiffin’s school teaching profession (as both a head coach or offensive coordinator).²

“All people thinks you throw the ball on this system,” Kiffin mentioned. “You actually do not. You run the ball lots on this system while you actually have it going.” 

By means of 5 video games, solely 9 Soccer Bowl Subdivision groups had accrued the next proportion of group yards on the bottom than Mississippi (55.7 p.c). Three of them are navy academies that execute the archaic, run-heavy flexbone offense. Kiffin’s method, against this, is sort of a bit extra trendy than that. 

To interchange misplaced manufacturing within the backfield, Kiffin appeared to the recruiting path and the switch portal. Zach Evans, a former 5-star recruit and TCU’s main rusher in 2021, transferred into this system in January. Freshman Quinshon Judkins has exploded onto the scene, scoring not less than one landing in all however one among his first six school video games. The three-star prospect has extra damaged tackles (20) than any participant within the SEC and extra speeding yards by a Mississippi freshman within the first 5 video games of a season since not less than 1976.

Collectively, the tandem has paced the Rebels to the second-most speeding yards (1,452) and the second-most anticipated factors added per rush try (0.20) of any SEC faculty. Mississippi has 21 speeding touchdowns, tied for probably the most of any group within the convention. The Rebels featured a 100-yard rusher in every of the group’s first 5 video games, the primary time since 1999 that the group had a operating again eclipse the century mark in 5 consecutive video games. 

That ground-bound system has confirmed to be fruitful. Regardless of speeding’s fame because the ugly step-sibling of offensive ways, Mississippi’s total assault has been extra productive with the elevated give attention to the operating sport, whether or not you take a look at easy factors per sport (that are up from 33.7 final yr to 39.7 this yr) or fancier metrics akin to anticipated factors added per play and offensive effectivity.

Opponents have taken discover, too. Vanderbilt shored up its run protection in opposition to Mississippi final weekend, forcing Kiffin to place extra passing performs on the docket. It labored early: The Rebels trailed at halftime for the primary time all season. However it didn’t final.

“They may take what you give them,” mentioned Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea. 

Lea was proper: A 3rd-quarter onslaught ensued, throughout which the Rebels outgained the Commodores by practically 200 yards and outscored them 21-0. In whole, Mississippi rattled off 35 straight factors, QB Jaxson Dart threw for a career-high in yards, vast receiver Jonathan Mingo set the varsity’s single-game receiving yards record and the Rebels earned the group’s first 6-0 begin to a season since 2014.

What’s much more stunning is that Kiffin has been capable of keep his signature high-tempo assault regardless of operating the ball so usually. By means of six video games, Mississippi has possessed the ball for a complete of 24 minutes and 12 seconds, practically six minutes in need of the nationwide common and the least period of time by any group by way of six video games in a season since 2018. Mississippi is huddling earlier than 34 p.c of offensive snaps, up 8 proportion factors from this time final season. But the common drive (1 minute and 59 seconds) and common play (27.6 seconds) are as quick or quicker than Mississippi has ever been beneath Kiffin.

So how can Kiffin play up-tempo and rely so closely on his run sport? It’s easy: large performs. Regardless of the temporary time it has possessed the soccer, Mississippi has scored 31 offensive touchdowns, tied for the fifth most within the nation. In opposition to Vanderbilt alone, Mississippi had three one-play scoring drives. Probably the most some other group has all season is 4. The Rebels have produced 41 performs of 20-plus yards, greater than they did in any season beneath Kiffin by way of six video games. 

“We’ve spurts, the place like that second half, the place it simply appears to be like like we’re unstoppable,” Dart mentioned after the Vanderbilt sport. “So we simply acquired to have the ability to discover that and discover that rhythm, simply discover that consistency each sport. And, you recognize, you recognize, there is no restrict to what we will obtain this yr.”

Mississippi’s postseason aspirations journey on the ultimate 4 video games of the common season, a brutal month-long stint that features two ranked opponents and journeys to Faculty Station and Fayetteville. It stays to be seen if Kiffin’s run-heavy scheme can maintain up in opposition to that bodily SEC defensive scrutiny, however for now this Rebels group is a case research in teaching flexibility — utilizing new elements to cook dinner up one thing completely different however simply as tasty. 

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