The Ole Miss Rebels went on the road and shellacked the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, 40-6, showing why they were considered to be one of the best teams in the country.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin revealed afterward that Wake Forest decided to cancel their home-and-home contract that would have seen them head to Oxford, Mississippi, next season for another matchup.
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Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on before a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Sept. 14, 2024. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)
“We called over and (Wake Forest athletic director) John Currie said ‘we’re not playing next year’ and bought out of the game,” Kiffin said, via 247 Sports. So I thought that was a good message for our players — that somebody would want to pay money not to play them. Says a lot about where our program is right now.”
Kiffin talked about the issue again on Monday, saying Wake Forest broke an “unwritten rule” with its decision to back out of next season’s game.
“That’s rarely ever done,” he said. “I’ve never really heard of doing it, and it really puts us at a big disadvantage. It is what it is. It obviously wasn’t appreciated very much, them putting us in that situation.
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Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin during the first half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Sept. 14, 2024. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)
“Now we’ve got to go find somebody and most people are all scheduled up. And even when you find somebody, you’ve got to go pay them. It’s kind of an unwritten rule not to do that, actually.”
A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Wake Forest indeed canceled their trip to the SEC school.
Ole Miss now has to find an opponent to fill the hole.
Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin argues a call with an official during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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“I really find it amazing that you wait until the week of the game to tell the team,” Kiffin added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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