FILE - Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin walks the field during a time out in the first quarter of the Gator Bowl NCAA college football game against Duke in Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, file)
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- Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin says Sellers might be the best of a long list of impressive quarterbacks to face the seventh-ranked Rebels this season.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers might be the best in a long list of impressive quarterbacks to face No. 7 Mississippi this season.
At least that’s the shared impression of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and defensive back Kapena Gushiken.
That quarterback list includes Georgia’s Gunner Stockton, Tulane’s Jake Retzlaff, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Arkansas’ Taylen Green and Oklahoma’s John Mateer, who was a teammate of Gushiken’s at Washington State last season.
Sellers is “an elite quarterback,” said Kiffin, whose Rebels (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) host South Carolina (3-5, 1-5) Saturday night in the first of a three-game home stand.
“His size-speed ratio is off the charts and he’s caused more missed tackles and sacks of anybody in the country,” Kiffin added. “He’s hard to bring down.”
Gushiken explained Sellers’ value goes beyond his 1,300-plus passing yards and 1,500-plus yards in total offense.
“He’s on another level and he looks it (6-foot-3, 240 pounds),” he said. “I know their season hasn’t gone like they wanted, but they’re impressive. They’re dangerous.”
The Gamecocks are on a three-game losing streak plagued by near-misses, with three of the losses by 10 points or fewer. The most recent was a 29-22 home loss to Alabama after South Carolina led by eight points late in the fourth quarter.
“It’s something that can be taught,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said when asked about finishing games.
“You hope it clicks. You hope it’s something you develop,” Beamer added. “We’ve been a good fourth-quarter team since I’ve been here. It’s maddening we haven’t been this year.”
Close calls
Ole Miss has won five games by eight points or fewer, including the season’s most impressive road win, 34-26 at Oklahoma. The remaining four games will be played within the borders of the state, including three in Oxford.
“There’s nothing better than playing at home,” said the Hawaii-born Gushiken, whose transfer journey has crossed the country. “It was Hawaii, California (Saddleback) junior college, Washington State, then here. It’s been a blast.”
“Ole Miss reached out and I researched defensive coordinator Pete Golding,” he added. “I wanted to play in this defense and it’s been a good fit. … There are a lot of new players, but our secondary is communicating better and we keep building confidence and trust.”
Bruckler defies analytics
Tight end Trace Bruckler had a breakout performance at Oklahoma, reeling in a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter and forcing a fumble on a punt return at midfield that set up a field goal in the final five minutes of a 34-26 win.
“I wanted to transfer to a school with an offense that’s tight end-friendly,” said Bruckler, who previously played at New Mexico. “Coach Kiffin’s offense is. That’s a fact.”
“There are times when we’ve got five tight ends on the field at the same time,” he added.
Bruckler did not realize he had caused the fumble “until I saw everybody scrambling around,” but his special teams role was not new.
“I’ve played special teams from high school to everywhere I’ve been,” Bruckler said. “It’s another way to get to the NFL. It’s part of my role and it gets me on the game bus. I embrace it because it helps my team.”
Bruckler’s versatility drew praise from Kiffin.
“Trace is the example of a guy that you didn’t expect to catch a touchdown and then make a significant special teams play,” Kiffin said. “That was really cool because we had three offensive players make the play. We had a receiver that tackled him, a tight end that knocked the ball out and an offensive lineman that recovered it.”
Kiffin shrugged and smiled, adding: “That’s a very low analytic for that to happen.”
Standout defenders
South Carolina defensive ends Dylan Stewart and Bryant Thomas Jr. have combined for 50 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks and three forced fumbles.
“They are explosive and talented,” Kiffin said, adding that Thomas “is one of the best in the country and he’s rushing every snap.”
Ole Miss showcases four defensive underclassmen. Kam Franklin and Princewill Umanmielen account for 20 quarterback hurries and six sacks, while linebackers T.J. Dottery and Jaden Yates are the most productive tacklers, with 52 and 43, respectively.
