How Ole Miss football style and JJ Pegue's touchdowns lead Rebels fans to break attendance records

OXFORD – Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin heard the chants.

Midway through the third quarter of No. 5 Ole Miss' 52-13 win over Georgia Southern (2-2) on Saturday, the Rebels moved toward the south end zone. As Ole Miss (4-0) reached the 2-yard line, a murmur of excitement went through the fans seated in the end zone area of ​​the Field Club. Defensive lineman JJ Pegues, tall No. 38, joined the offensive huddle.

Pegues lined up as a tight end and blocked to help running back Matt Jones gain a yard. Fans who had hoped to see crowd favorite Pegues get a run and score a touchdown were visibly disappointed. So Kiffin made a change.

“I thought it was a shame he only came in as a tight end to block,” Kiffin said. “So we put him in as a running back on the next play. Harlem (Henry Parrish), our running back, was mad. I thought, 'I have to do what they want.'”

On the next play, Pegues got a handoff and charged over the defenders, landing in the end zone and scoring a touchdown.

There were 67,505 fans reported at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. That was an Ole Miss record, topping the 66,703 set against LSU last year. Sure, the Rebels are undefeated and appear to be one of the best teams in the country, but Kiffin says setting an attendance record means more than just fielding a winning team. There's a lot to be said for the way Ole Miss won.

Sure, touchdowns by Parrish are celebrated. But it's the touchdowns by Pegues, who weighs so much at 325 pounds, that keep people coming back.

“I think that's the case when you have really good fans coming to start with,” Kiffin said. “But you have an exciting style of play. Especially in a non-league game, there are a lot of ways to win. If you're one of the slower offensive players, the games aren't quite as exciting. I think it's exciting to watch us play.”

This also rubs off on the players. How excited are Pegues' teammates in defence when he is substituted for an attacking move?

“Very excited,” said linebacker Pooh Paul. “We're fired up. I tell JJ every time he gets his team fired up, if he gets that first break. And when he jumps, you've got to be ready.”

Ole Miss has scored at least 40 points in all four games. Quarterback Jaxson Dart has thrown for 1,554 yards in four games, the most by an SEC quarterback in the last 20 seasons, according to ESPN. The defense has forced seven turnovers. That's not normal.

The Rebels celebrate every touchdown with fireworks, a light show, fire extinguishers being thrown into the air, and a dunk on the portable basketball hoop being rolled to the Ole Miss sideline. This, too, is not normal.

Kiffin's recipe seems to be working; maybe even too well. His only criticism of fans is that the seats empty when the Rebels win games.

“Our main goal is to win and get to 1-0,” Kiffin said. “But we've built this with style and hope it's going to be entertaining.”

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] or reach him at @Sam_Hutchens_

This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football fans want to see Lane Kiffin and the Rebels win in style