Ole Miss football made a big splash in the hiring of Lane Kiffin. He cones to Oxford from Florida Atlantic, bringing 10 years of head coaching experience with the Oakland Raiders, the University of Tennessee and USC. He was also the offensive coordinator at Alabama for three years under Nick Saban.
Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter closed the deal with Kiffin a lightning quick five days after the Rebels fired Matt Luke. Carter, who was just recently appointed as the permanent AD, might have hit a grand slam with the hiring of Kiffin.
LSU NEW KING OF SEC
LSU whipped Georgia to win the SEC championship this past weekend and in the process jumped Ohio State to the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings. LSU will meet No. 4 Oklahoma in Atlanta in the Peach Bowl. Second seeded Ohio State will battle another undefeated team in Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. Both of those games will be played on December 28 with the National Championship game set for January 13 in New Orleans.
CORINTH GETS IT DONE
The Corinth Warriors have been playing football since 1912 and this past Saturday won their first state championship with a win over Poplarville in the MHSAA 4A title contest. Another first time-champion was Oxford as the Chargers coached by Chris Cutcliffe, the son of former Ole Miss head football coach David Cutcliffe, led his team to a thrilling comeback win over Oak Grove in the 6-A contest.
Then there was West Point winning over Picayune for their fourth straight 5-A championship and 11th in school history. The Wave tied South Panola for the most state titles in MHSAA history. Taylorsville captured its seventh state championship with a blowout win over Northside while Nanih Waiya won its second straight 1A title with a romp over Lumberton. In 3A play, Jefferson Davis County won its second title in three years since their school was consolidated. The Jaguars’ coach Lance Mancuso won his eighth state championship title with the 3A title win.
ODDS & ENDS
—Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College claimed their fifth national football championship with a win over Lackawanna College (Pa.) last week.
— Mississippi State’s Kylin Hill, the SEC leading rusher, won the 2019 C Spire Conerly Trophy, given to the state’s top college football player, last Tuesday.
— The San Francisco 49ers (11-2) won an instant classic as time expired on a field goal to edge the New Orleans Saints, 48-46. The Saints fall to 10-3 overall for the season.
Dale McKee is a native of Waynesboro and has been writing sports in Mississippi since 1973. His column appears in several weekly papers throughout the state. You may contact him at ddmckee18@yahoo.com
