His team had bounced back in the best possible way.
On the road, no less.
And Lane Kiffin already had teased his personal feelings earlier this week when he noted that Texas A&M and Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher had outbid the Ole Miss football program for the services of defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin.
"We got outbid," Kiffin said this week of his attempts to retain Durkin. "Kind of a common theme with that (Texas A&M) program."
Kiffin laughed last and loudest Saturday night inside sold-out Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
Especially after Kiffin's Rebels controlled much of the second half against the talented-but-underwhelming Aggies in a 31-28 win in which Ole Miss led by double-digits throughout much of the final two quarters.
A whopping 390 of the Rebels' 530 offensive yards came via their ground game, with freshman Quinshon Judkins gashing the Aggies for 205 yards while the duo of quarterback Jaxson Dart and tailback Zach Evans added another 170 yards.
"I thought the running backs did well," Kiffin told ESPN's Cole Cubelic on the field postgame. "390 yards rushing against a bunch of five-stars is pretty good."
Cubelic, a former offensive lineman at Auburn who's carved a reputation as perhaps the sport's preeminent sideline reporter for his depth and knowledge, then lobbed up a softball to Kiffin as the interview concluded.
"Halloween right around the corner, what are we dressing up as?," Cubelic asked.
"I don't know, maybe Jimbo has a 'Joker' outfit for me," Kiffin deadpanned, drawing audible laughs from both Cubelic and the entire broadcast crew.
Man, @Lane_Kiffin never disappoints to speak his mind, says maybe Jimbo Fisher will have a “Joker” costume for him & praises his running backs vs “a buncha 5-stars” pic.twitter.com/yQHsAvLm8v
— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) October 30, 2022
Ole Miss improved to 8-1 with the win, surviving one of college football's longest consecutive-games streaks to open the season without an open date.
The Rebels, whom Kiffin has guided to the SEC's third-most wins since the start of the 2020 season, have next Saturday off before they host Alabama and Kiffin's former boss, Nick Saban, Nov. 12 in Oxford, Miss.