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Lane Kiffin says how playing with ‘house money’ will help Ole Miss at Georgia
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Lane Kiffin noted on Wednesday’s SEC teleconference that playing with house money could benefit No. 9 Ole Miss in its weekend matchup against No. 2 Georgia.
Kiffin added that it “allows you to play and coach looser.”
“Not uptight, not tense, not stressed,” Kiffin said.
Kiffin mentioned that this mentality stems from playing Alabama every year, including this season and last season.
“Early on when we first got here it was kind of like house money because nobody expected us to win, they’re Alabama,” Kiffin said. “And then this year we go and play them and they’ve had the quarterback struggles and played the other guys the game before and they lost to Texas.”
All of a sudden, Kiffin said, there was a different feel leading up to the Rebels’ matchup against the Crimson Tide back on Sept. 23.
“It’s like Ole Miss could beat Alabama,” Kiffin said.
Ole Miss went on to lose that game, 24-10, but Kiffin stood by the explanation of his “house money” mentality.
“This one, when you’re dealing with whatever stat that is, 42-1 or something and not lost at home in 5 years, and you’ve got to go there and play, that takes some pressure off,” Kiffin said.
Kiffin noted that when a team is on the other side of those streak, the pressure is more on the team with the streak.
“If the game starts to go the other way, or is close late,” Kiffin said. “There’s more pressure on you when you’re that No. 1 team and you’re on that streak.”
The Rebels (8-1) and the Bulldogs (9-0) face off at 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.
