Lane Kiffin asks Ole Miss to be more consistent after the first half against Kentucky

Kentucky led Ole Miss 10-7 at halftime after settling in on defense and making life extremely difficult for the top-ranked offense in the country.

Kentucky's defensive line in particular did a really good job of putting pressure on the quarterback Jason Dart and keep him from getting into a rhythm. Ole Miss had just 126 yards in the first half.

“You're doing a good job. They’re really good, like I’ve been saying all week,” the Rebels coach said Lane Kiffin said ABC sideline reporter Molly McGrath at halftime. “These guys have really good players and we have to do a better job. We made some shots, but they missed deep, so we have to make those and be more consistent.”

Ole Miss' first drive was clinical. The Rebels marched 83 yards in six plays, scored a touchdown and took a 7-0 lead. After that, they only gained 43 yards.

Kentucky controlled the tempo, limiting Ole Miss to just five first-half possessions and 8:20 time of possession.

However, some of that was due to self-inflicted mistakes by Kiffin's team on the opposite side of the ball. The Rebels had chances to end some Wildcats' drives, but then saw the yellow flag wave.

“Well, we did some of it ourselves. We had three defensive hold or pass interferences on third or fourth down, three of them,” Kiffin said. “It kept her drive alive. That's why we have to perform much better on offense after the first drive and stay consistent. We’re in a game like we’ve seen before with these guys.”

Ole Miss was penalized eight times for 53 yards in the first half, while Kentucky only received one call for 10 yards.

UK quarterback Brock Vandagriff was sharp in the first half, completing 10 of 14 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. He also ran nine times for 24 yards, gaining some important first downs with his legs. For UM, Dart was 7 of 11 for 97 yards at halftime. He also ran eight times for 24 yards.

Ole Miss has won the last three meetings in the series, with all three games coming since 2017. Kentucky's last win in the series came in 2011.