It’s not the first time we’ve seen Lane Kiffin react this way.
For all of you Alabama fans, you know what we’re talking about.
That’s right. The Ole Miss coach knows when he has a winning play drawn up before the play even unfolds. He showed that ability as the offensive coordinator at Alabama under Nick Saban, raising his hands in celebration long before an official raises his to signal touchdown.
Kiffin’s ability to see the future was on full display Saturday night during the Rebels’ 59-42 win over South Carolina.
Trailing 42-38, Matt Corral found a wide-open Elijah Moore waiting in the middle of the field at the South Carolina 45-yard line. Moore then turned and raced into the end zone to put Ole Miss ahead to stay, 45-42 with 12:02 remaining.
During the play, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin tossed his call sheet in the air at the catch and raced up the sidelines 30 yards before stopping to celebrate with a fist pump as Moore completed the game’s decisive play.
Corral accounted for five touchdowns as Ole Miss rallied to defeat South Carolina.
Ole Miss (3-4, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) finished with 708 yards of offense, the most in school history in an SEC game. Corral finished 28 of 32 for 513 yards passing, a school record, including four touchdowns. Corral added a 3-yard touchdown run, while Jerrion Ealy rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries with touchdown runs of 12 and 5 yards.
Moore had 13 receptions for 225 yards, including touchdown catches of 91 and 25 yards, both during the fourth-quarter surge. Lakia Henry had 10 tackles and A.J. Finley had an interception as Ole Miss stopped the final three South Carolina offensive series.
Kevin Harris led South Carolina (2-5, 2-5) with 243 yards rushing on 25 carries, including touchdown runs of 46, 1,1, 44 and 12 yards. The Gamecocks rallied from a 31-21 deficit early in the third quarter to take a 42-38 lead early in the fourth.
Collin Hill was 17 of 28 for 230 yards passing with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Shi Smith, who finished with 10 receptions for 117 yards. South Carolina had 548 yards of total offense and linebacker Ernest Jones had a game-high 18 tackles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
