Home / Sports / Kiffin Slams Refs for Missed Call as Ole Miss Suffers Heartbreaking Defeat to Florida
Kiffin Slams Refs for Missed Call as Ole Miss Suffers Heartbreaking Defeat to Florida
16 Nov
Summary
- Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin argued officials made wrong call on penalty
- Penalty should have given Ole Miss an automatic first down, but was ruled a dead-ball foul
- Ole Miss lost 24-20 to Florida, hurting their College Football Playoff chances
On November 12th, 2025, the 7th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels suffered a heartbreaking 24-20 loss to the Florida Gators, with a controversial penalty call playing a key role in the outcome. Late in the first half, with Ole Miss trailing 21-17, kicker Lucas Carneiro converted a 27-yard field goal to cut the deficit to one point. However, Florida was flagged for an illegal hands to the face personal foul on the play.
Despite multiple replays showing the penalty occurred before the ball hit the net, officials deemed it a dead-ball foul, with the yardage enforced on the ensuing kickoff instead of giving Ole Miss an automatic first down. Furious Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin argued intensely with the officials, stating "The play does not stop until the ball hits the net, and the ball has not hit the net yet when the foul occurred. So this should have been a live-ball foul, which would have given Ole Miss a first down."
The missed call proved costly, as Florida added a field goal just before halftime to push the margin back to four points. Ole Miss' struggles continued in the second half, as a 15-play drive stalled at the 2-yard line on a failed fourth-down attempt. The loss dropped Ole Miss to 9-1 on the season and significantly damaged their chances of reaching the College Football Playoff.
