Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss's coach, discusses his positive COVID-19 results and how the team will proceed against Louisville. (1:36).
OXFORD (Miss.) In October, Matt Corral, a dispirited quarterback for Ole Miss, stood in the corner in the Razorback Stadium locker area.
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss coach, was right beside him. He wore the expression that anyone who has ever played with him or coached him well.
Corral recalled, "It was only me and him." "He looks at me with such calm and cool eyes, almost as if he didn't know if we won or not."
It was clear that Ole Miss lost that game to Arkansas 33-21. Corral also suffered a terrible performance with six interceptions and one lost fumble.
"Who would not chew my ass?" "Who wouldn't chew my ass out?" I don't think so. Corral said that Coach Kiff is his coach, but Corral sometimes refers to him as Kiff. "He told me that I was still the man, that he had my back and that we were going get it fixed, and that he was getting ready for the media to tell the same thing to the media guys.
"He is who he says he is, regardless of the circumstance... always real."
Corral and Kiffin are two California "dudes", whose drama-filled and eventful paths -- which often made it easy to draw preconceived ideas about them -- brought together two of college football’s most intriguing characters in Mississippi.
Kiffin mused, in reference to the Garth Brooks song "Sometimes I thank God For Unanswered Prayers." "I guess we've all been good for one another."
Their second season will begin Monday night when Ole Miss hosts Louisville in Atlanta (8:30 p.m.). ET ESPN and ESPN App. However, Kiffin will be absent due to COVID-19 testing positive. While the quarterback will not be accompanied by his head coach, Corral has grown as a player because of their collaboration. They're so close, Kiffin even told Corral about his positive test before any other member of the team.
Corral, who is the Preseason Coaches All-SEC quarterback, cannot begin to list the many ways that he has grown as a quarterback since his time with Jeff Lebby, Ole Miss' offensive coordinator. The biggest step in establishing himself as one the country's top quarterbacks is to reduce his miscues. As a redshirt sophomore Corral was responsible 17 of 18 Rebels' turnovers, which included 14 interceptions.
After learning a new system from Lebby and Kiffin, Corral was the nation's top offensive threat (384.3 yards per match) in his first season. Corral was also the only FBS player to have more than 500 yards rushing (506) or more than 2,700 passing yards (3.337 yards). This feat was achieved in just 10 games.
Corral was one of a few college football players to rush for over 500 yards and pass for more that 3,300 yards since 2015. Trevor Lawrence, Jalenhurts, Kyler Jackson, Deshaun Watson, and Dak Prescott are all part of that elite club.
Kiffin said that Matt should limit his turnovers and, unless I'm an idiot (or he's a fool), he will be in the first round [of] the NFL draft and probably the top two-thirds of it." He was stunned the first time Corral threw the ball.
He was throwing it 70 feet with accuracy and he's not very tall (6-foot-2, 205 lbs]. His upper body is very loose. It's incredible how far he can stretch his arms back when he does the flexibility test. He is also an excellent quarterback scrambler. Although he won't be the fastest at the [NFL] Combine, he has really good feet and can run very smoothly once he starts.
Lane Kiffin, Matt Corral and their shared pasts have made them bond over their roles at Ole Miss. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Kiffin-Corral relationship began like many others with Kiffin who is not one to rush into anything. This is with the possible exception of stirring it up via Twitter or stirring it up simply because.
Thus, the nickname "Lane The Pain" was given to him as a child. Heidi, his sister, shortened it to "LP" to serve as Kiffin's callerID whenever he called her cell phone.
Kiffin jokes lately that the only trouble he's had is leaving his garage door unlocked at the Country Club Oxford home he just bought.
Kiffin was incredulous when Kiffin stated that he received a letter from the [homeowners group] stating that I had violated rules by leaving my garage doors open one day." "Why would they care if my garage door is open?"
Although it took some time for Corral to see how Kiffin loved him, he was now his fifth college head coach. Corral estimates that Kiffin only spoke about 15 sentences when he took over at Ole Miss in December 2019 and only "maybe two" to him the following month.
Corral doesn't miss a single day of being in Kiffin's office, whether it's to chat, to text him about a new formation, or to follow him around the sideline. He's eager to learn everything from the guy who was hired as an NFL head coach at 31.
"That's absurd. Corral stated that he was nine years younger than me, but that he has changed my entire perspective on the game. He and Coach Lebby have a lot in common. They helped me see things that I didn't before. This is especially true now that I am in my second year of working with them.
"Plus, Coach Kiff got me, and I get to him."
It is not an exaggeration to say that they are related. Kiffin was a dream coach at USC and was fired by the Trojans on an airport runway in 2013. Corral, a Ventura native, always dreamed of playing with the Trojans. He committed to play there as a freshman in highschool. However, a dispute with Wayne Gretzky's son at Oaks Christian School, Westlake Village, California ended his dreams. Corral, not the father of the famed hockey player, ended up transferring to Long Beach Poly in order to complete his high school career. USC pulled the plug on the offer.
Corral stated that not one punch was exchanged during the encounter with Gretzky. It becomes public like it was a brawl and I suddenly have anger problems and character issues."
Peter, Corral's father has witnessed the growth of his son under Kiffin.
Peter stated that "Lane Kiffin's visit to Ole Miss was a blessing for Matt." Lane brought Matt blossoming in all aspects. They were just a natural match. Matt is a laid back, competitive kid who is easy to get along with. He is the youngest of three brothers and his big brothers didn't take it easy on Matt. He found an ally in Lane and learned to fight back, regardless of what anyone else thought.
In his first season, Corral threw for 3,337 yard and 29 touchdowns under Kiffin. The Rebels went 5-5 in 2020 after Corral rushed for 506 yards with four touchdowns. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
Corral, who turns 23 in January, stated that his relationship with Kiffin has grown just as much off the field than on it. This has allowed Corral to be himself, and fully subscribe to Kiffin's motto: "Who says you can't have some fun and still win football games?"
Corral stated, "Maybe it is a California thing but I love how calm and composed he is, especially when it comes to game day, and also how organized everything is here." We work hard every day and it is important to do things right. It's also fun. It's fun and you have to love Coach Kiff for his dry wit.
This is an example: Kiffin had consoled Corral last season in the somber Arkansas locker rooms. The coach then walked into the quarterback meeting and began to tweet about Corral.
Kiffin said, "Attah you didn't break his ex-father in law's record," referring to the NCAA-record nine interceptions that John Reaves, former Florida quarterback, threw during a 1969 defeat to Auburn.
Corral received a similar message by text from Archie Manning, legendary Ole Miss quarterback.
Manning joked that Manning had just tied him and that he hadn't beat him. Manning was once the thrower of six interceptions in a 31-0 defeat to Tennessee in 1968. But that's what Matt is most proud of. He kept firing even though some games didn't go the way he wanted, which is what you have to do.
Kiffin created "Get Real Wednesdays" at Ole Miss. This is a program that allows players to openly share their lives with their teammates. It's usually just the players. However, Kiffin was present when Corral had his turn.
Kiffin stated that it was the first time he had told me his entire story. He described what happened at Oaks Christian and USC's bail on him. Then, he committed to Florida, but that didn't work out. "I didn't know all that. You feel even more for him now that you hear about his struggles and triumphs."
Kiffin stated that Corral is the one thing he loves the most. He is always up for a challenge.
In January, Kiffin said that the coach's stomach grew so large that his three children named it Nikki. He decided to cleanse himself for a 10 day period, without alcohol and with intense exercise.
"I felt so good, that I kept going," Kiffin said. That was seven months ago. Kiffin stated that she has lost 32 pounds of fat.
Corral, inspired and motivated by his coach's weight loss told Kiffin that it was his intention to match him in alcohol abstinence for the entire season.
Kiffin stated that he knew how much healthier I felt and was more healthy than I was, and he promised to do the exact same. "This shows his leadership, discipline and commitment to a great season."
It's not just football with Corral and Kiffin.
Kiffin picked up Corral on Sunday, the day of Ole Miss' last preseason scrimmage/mock match. He then took him to church. Two Californian men said that it was a pleasure to worship at Community Church Oxford in "Country South" style during a nondenominational service.
Kiffin laughed, "You know that you're in South when the preacher is Fish and he wears T-shirts and a hat." "There is Country South and City South. And that's Country South. It doesn't get much better than this.
Kiffin believes Corral will do a lot better in this year's decision-making and doesn't feel he needs to do too much. It is important that the Rebels improve defensively, with transfers and Otis Reese, senior safety, available throughout the season. Ole Miss was close to the bottom in all defensive categories last season.
Kiffin stated that Matt felt pressured to score in every series after the Rebels had surrendered 51, 41 and 53 points in their first three games. Remember, the Arkansas game was right after the Alabama one, where we scored 48 points and gained 647 yards, but still lost by 15.
After he was positive for COVID-19 last week, Kiffin will not be able to play against Louisville on Monday. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
Manning felt Corral's pain last year as he tried to match score for score. In seven of their 10 games, the Rebels surrendered more than 30 points.
Manning stated that you can play the position differently if your confidence in your defense is higher. It's not good to say "We have to score seven points on this drive, seven on the next, and seven on the third one to keep the game alive," Manning said. It's not an easy way to play quarterback.
Corral is to be credited for never making excuses. In the 53-48 loss at LSU, he also threw five interceptions. However, he was responsible for 33 touchdowns for Ole Miss (29 passing and four running) which broke the SEC record of total offense in conference games with 562.4 yards per game.
"Hey, you move on," Corral said. "I won't let one thing, one game, or one experience define who I am."
This attitude has made Kiffin a favorite quarterback. He is much the same as Kiffin in his early years as a coach and has learned from his mistakes and grown from them.
Kiffin stated that people assume a lot about you when you are fired from another job, even if you had a rough ending or have a problem at high school. "But I have had no problems with Matt, nothing at any."
Kiffin wondered if Corral’s sleeve tattoo was making people look at him differently.
Kiffin stated that although coaches don't usually say it, people have a perception of him due to his sleeve tattoo. It's the quarterback. They don't care if the left defensive end has it or the receiver. It's the quarterback that is the problem. "
Corral's tattoo contains a passage from Isaiah 40:31.
Kiffin uses a rigorous evaluation process to evaluate quarterbacks who want to play in SEC. He quickly realized that Corral meets all the criteria.
Kiffin stated that "You have to be a leader personality in order to enter the SEC with these children and win their trust, especially as a Californian kid." "Matt is a swaggering leader and you can see how kids have taken to him as a member of this team.
Manning, without doubt one of the most respected players in Ole Miss' history, was equally impressed by Corral's ability to adapt.
Manning stated that Ole Miss hasn’t signed many California quarterbacks over the years. "I admire Matt's ability to come in and take care of his business after going through many struggles and ups. As everyone does, I admire that. It's obvious how much he has grown under Lane. He will have a great Year, so I want him to be healthy.
It is possible that some of Corral's most important work regarding the future of Ole Miss football might not be on the field this season. He is trying to protect Ole Miss royalty.
Another Manning is a highly-coveted prospect for high school quarterback in the United States.
Archie Manning's grandson and nephew, Cooper, is a junior at Isidore Newman School, New Orleans. He is on the wish lists of every country program, and Ole Miss is fighting Texas, Georgia, and Alabama to get him. Arch Manning is no stranger to Ole Miss' campus. Corral was also a frequent visitor to Arch Manning's home this summer, and he visited again when he was in town with his parents. Archie Manning stated that the two spent time together at Manning Passing Academy.
Archie maintains that he will not be involved in what is sure to be a fierce recruitment battle.
"I'm taking deep seats and looking far away. Archie laughed with a big smile.
Corral's sales pitch was more aggressive.
Corral stated, "You can't beat that environment, especially if your quarterback is doing all we do on offense and all the pro-style stuff." "Arch has been told by me how much it's fun to play here and how you can grow as a player as well as as a person through the structure."
Corral laughed that he should have known that Kiffin and he would end up together. Corral, a sixth-grader, and James Townsend (a Colorado long-snapper), attended "Camp Kiffin" as a summer before Kiffin's last season as USC's head coaching coach.
Corral stated, "I recall Ed Orgeron [now-LSU Coach] being there. He was on the USC practice fields and everything." "So, it was not so wild to imagine that I might one-day play for Coach Kiff.
"Just not at Ole Miss."
