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Ole Miss comes in to the 2021 season with expectations of a high powered offense and several big revenge games. Lane Kiffin was back in Hoover for the first time since he was the head coach at Tennessee in 2009. Kiffin is in his second year in Oxford, but SEC Media Days was canceled last year due to COVID-19.
Great day with the boys!!! @OleMissFB @SEC pic.twitter.com/GWoWSPP0Li
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) July 21, 2021
Reunion games for the Rebels
Ole Miss’ schedule features a few reunion games. Lane Kiffin will make his return to two schools he used to coach.
First, Kiffin will return to Alabama. He was offensive coordinator there from 2014-2016 and won the national championship in 2015. It will be Kiffin’s first trip back to Tuscaloosa since then, and it should be an entertaining game. Alabama beat Ole Miss in Oxford last year in a wild 63-48 game. Ole Miss makes the trip to Tuscaloosa on Oct. 2.
"Best coach in the history of what is getting ready to say of all sports"
Some high praise from @Lane_Kiffin today at SEC Media Days on his old head coach Nick Saban. pic.twitter.com/ZEVL6TaiA0
— Ryan Hennessy (@RyanWVTM13) July 20, 2021
Next, Kiffin will be back in Tennessee. Kiffin coached at Tennessee in 2009. He return to Knoxville when he was on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama. However, this year will be his first game back at Tennessee as a head coach. Kiffin’s Rebels will take on the Vols on Oct. 16. Here’s Kiffin on returning to Knoxville:
Finally, Ole Miss will host Liberty late in the year, and a familiar face will return to Oxford. Hugh Freeze is currently the coach of the Liberty Flames. He elevated the Ole Miss program to new heights before resigning because of scandal. Ole Miss suffered harsh penalties from the NCAA due to recruiting violations, so it should be interesting to see the kind of reception Freeze gets from the Rebels fans.
Rebels bring back one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC
Matt Corral is back for Ole Miss and the junior quarterback is projected to be one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC if not the country. Corral had a completion percentage of 71 percent, threw for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2020.
Corral and the Rebels’ offense should be great this season. The pressure will be on the Ole Miss defense to make stops in high-scoring games.
Ole Miss’ first game of the season is Labor Day night against Louisville in Atlanta.
