What Jeff Lebby said about Lane Kiffin coaching rumors before MSU vs Ole Miss in Egg Bowl
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STARKVILLE — Rumors are swirling around whether Lane Kiffin will stay as Ole Miss football coach or leave for Florida or LSU.
Ole Miss and Mississippi State are also preparing for the Egg Bowl. Both teams are currently on an open week before playing each other at Davis Wade Stadium on Nov. 28 (11 a.m., ABC) in the regular-season finale.
Some have wondered if the rumors are a distraction for the No. 6 Rebels (10-1, 6-1 SEC), who would host a first-round College Football Playoff game if the season ended now.
Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said he hasn’t been paying much attention to the rumors.
“I have spent no time thinking about that or if it will be (a distraction) as they handle things inside their walls,” Lebby said Nov. 19. “I’m fighting like heck to make sure we’re in a great spot. That’s where 100% of my focus and energy is.”
The Bulldogs (5-6, 1-6) have goals of their own, too, besides the obvious component of winning the game.
They are one win from clinching bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022. However, MSU has whiffed in its last two chances to reach six wins, losing by 20 to Georgia on Nov. 8 and 22 at Missouri on Nov. 15.
Lebby, in his second season at MSU, coached for Kiffin at Ole Miss as the offensive coordinator from 2020-21.
The Rebels beat Mississippi State 26-14 in Oxford last season and have won the last two games in Starkville in 2023 and 2021.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State coach on Lane Kiffin rumors for Egg Bowl
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