Lane Kiffin has Georgia in the lead since last year’s 52-17 loss.

The Ole Miss head coach said that since that blowout loss, he and his team have approached things differently while figuring out how to overcome the obstacle of defeating one of the best teams in the SEC.

“A year ago, we lost to these guys by about 30,” Kiffin told ESPN’s Molly McGrath after Saturday’s 28-10 upset win (against The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel). “We made a decision, we have to recruit differently. We have to shop around. We’ve been planning this game for a year, planning for the whole offseason.”

Since taking over as head coach of the Rebels in 2020, Kiffin has had a lot of success with two 10+ win seasons, including last year when they won the Peach Bowl. While racking up wins is a good thing, Kiffin hadn’t beaten the SEC’s best until Saturday.

Even last year, when Ole Miss had one of its best seasons in program history, its championship hopes were sullied by losses to Alabama and Georgia. Kiffin now holds a coveted win against the Bulldogs, which could help the Rebs reach the championship level.

It hasn’t been a perfect season for Ole Miss – Saturday’s game ended in a surprise loss to Kentucky and a loss to LSU – but a dominant win over the nation’s No. 3 team puts the Rebels back in contention. College. Photo from the football playoffs.

The loss to the Wildcats is certainly a blemish on Ole Miss’ resume, but the win against Georgia could erase it. After Saturday’s victory, the end of the season should be relatively easy for the Rebels. They face Florida next week before closing out the year in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.

If Ole Miss can win its final two games of the year, it will hope for luck elsewhere in the SEC and grace from the College Football Playoff committee.