With Kentucky coming to Oxford, Lane Kiffin wants Ole Miss crowds to stick around

Random notes:

▪ When seventh-ranked Kentucky comes to Oxford on Saturday it will be the conference opener for No. 14-ranked Ole Miss. So the Rebels should benefit from the home-field advantage, right? Lane Kiffin is not so sure.

In his press conference this week, the Ole Miss coach repeated a complaint about the crowds arriving late and exiting Vaught-Hemingway Stadium early.

“Regardless of what you come out to before the game or at a halftime, when you come back out and you run out of the tunnel and it looks like a high school game played in a college stadium, you can’t let that affect you,” Kiffin said he told his team. “There’s psychology to that, obviously. There’s a home-field advantage for a reason. And when it goes the other way, you kind of have that feeling are we still really playing in a game here? The players have to fight that. We use that as a learning lesson for our guys. So if that’s the case, that’s the case. “

Saturday’s noon kickoff is a sellout. After losing Kiffin’s first three home games in 2020, the Rebels have won 12 straight. That includes six straight SEC home victories.

▪ If you missed it, Ole Miss will wear special helmets Saturday promoting Realtree, an outdoor apparel company founded by an Ole Miss alum. The helmets are camo-style with the “Ole Miss” script. It’s just one more step toward college football uniforms looking like NASCAR uniforms. Everything is for sale.

▪ Have to admit, I’m looking forward to seeing the Bengals’ alternate all-white uniforms for Thursday night’s game against the undefeated Miami Dolphins at Paul Brown, er, Paycor Stadium. It’s an 8:15 p.m. kickoff on Amazon Prime.

▪ Watching the Tulsa-Ole Miss game from last Saturday, former Kentucky receiver Isaiah Epps caught two touchdown passes for Tulsa. The senior has 13 catches for 217 yards and four scores on the season for the Golden Hurricanes. He caught TD passes of 20 and 17 yards against the Rebels.

▪ As I mentioned in a previous column, Kentucky has not won back-to-back SEC road games in the same season since 2009. That year, Rich Brooks coached the Cats to wins at Auburn (21-14), Vanderbilt (24-13) and Georgia (34-27) before retiring. His successor, Joker Phillips, promptly went 0-12 in SEC road games during his three seasons.

▪ Todd McShay, who will be part of ESPN’s broadcast crew for UK-Ole Miss, says NFL Draft scouts are telling him that Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud and, yes, Kentucky’s Will Levis are the “clear-cut” top three quarterback prospects for the 2023 draft.

▪ Why didn’t we see former UK receiver Wan’Dale Robinson with the New York Giants on “Monday Night Football”? A knee injury kept Robinson out of the 23-16 loss to Dallas. So far, he has made just one catch for 5 yards and the rookie may also miss the Giants’ game Sunday against Chicago.

▪ The Jacksonville Jaguars draft ex-UK center Luke Fortner to go along with ex-UK edge rusher Josh Allen and suddenly they are 2-1 and leading the AFC South. Coincidence? I think not.

▪ Kentucky has not rushed for more than 103 yards in any of its four games in 2022. That happened just three times in 2021 — 102 vs Chattanooga, 51 at Georgia and 66 at Mississippi State. So, yes, even a rusty Chris Rodriguez is bound to help Kentucky’s running game.

▪ That isn’t any knock on Kavosiey Smoke, who filled in admirably during Rodriguez’s absence. It’s just that C-Rod has more tackle-breaking ability. Plus, with injuries to Ramon Jefferson and JuTahn McClain, Smoke has had to shoulder the load. Even with Rodriguez back, Smoke will get carries.

▪ Mark Stoops was asked Monday if he had any tips for UK fans traveling to Ole Miss on Saturday. Stoops admitted that he has never been to Oxford so he didn’t have any tailgating recommendations. Not even a specific bourbon they might want to bring along?

“Oh, yes,” laughed the UK coach before recommending his own brand, “William Tarr. Absolutely.”

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The John Clay Podcast: Kentucky football review with a peek ahead to Ole Miss