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Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, decided to pull back the curtain on what he believes makes Oklahoma’s defense so difficult to crack. Kiffin suggested during his Monday press conference that the Sooners do a great job studying opponents’ signals through film preparation, pointing specifically to Oklahoma’s dominant performance against Auburn as evidence.
The Rebels coach even went as far as telling Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze that he might want to switch his signals after watching the tape.
When a reporter pressed him on whether Ole Miss would change their own signaling approach for Saturday’s game in Norman, Kiffin said. No, the Rebels would keep their same signals. That’s when things got interesting.
The follow-up question came quickly. Was this something Ole Miss does every week, or would they need to make specific adjustments because of who they’re playing? Kiffin responded by calling it a really good question before adding that competitively, he couldn’t answer it. The exchange captured the mental chess match playing out before No. 8 Ole Miss travels to face No. 13 Oklahoma.
Oklahoma enters the game with one of college football’s top defenses, allowing just nine points per game, which ranks first in the SEC. They lead the conference in total defense, rushing yards allowed, passing yards allowed, and sacks.
Lane Kiffin says one of the reasons the Oklahoma’s defense is so good is because the #Sooners film and study their opponents play signals… @NEWS9 @NewsOn6 #OUFootball pic.twitter.com/iKk6akAZ07
— Chris Williams (@CWillTV) October 20, 2025
Kiffin acknowledged that Oklahoma’s preparation goes beyond standard film study. He described how Brent Venables’ defense appears to have advance knowledge of what’s coming, making plays that seem abnormal for defensive units.
Kiffin’s Praise Doubles as Strategic Warning for Signal Study Concerns
According to a post by Chris Williams on X (formerly Twitter), Kiffin explained his theory during his weekly media availability.
“You know, a film study of signals. I mean that’s not as, I’ll just tell you how it is. I think they do a great job at, so if you study people really well and then have enough confidence as coach to go after those. That seems what he does. It seems like they’ve got a good beat on the plays that are coming when they’re called and do a great job going taking away. When look at the Auburn game, I mean I told Hugh after the game watching it, he might want to switch his signals. It looks like they have the plays. Mental safety is running down to steal slants, which is very abnormal.” Kiffin said.
Watching broadcast footage and attempting to match defensive reactions with offensive signals sounds good and it breaks no rules, every program does it to some degree. The real question is how good teams are at it and how willing they are to trust what they see on film.
Brent Venables addressed Kiffin’s comments later Monday night during his weekly coach’s show, saying he took them as a compliment from Lane. The Oklahoma head coach, one of the most respected defensive minds in college football, credited his players’ preparation and the time they spend beyond what’s required. Venables emphasized that his team is relentless in their detail and that the proof shows in how they’re playing right now.
The kickoff is set for noon Eastern on ABC, and the game will test whether Kiffin’s signal strategy, whatever it ends up being, can solve what he himself called probably the best defense Ole Miss has faced during his tenure.
His decision to keep the Rebels’ signals unchanged suggests either confidence in his system or perhaps a bit of strategic misdirection ahead of kickoff. His refusal to elaborate on whether signal changes are a weekly occurrence or a game-specific adjustment adds another layer of uncertainty. In the world of Kiffin, that’s probably exactly what he wants.
