Matt Corral injury update: Lane Kiffin 'hopeful' for Ole Miss QB, discusses backup gameplan

The biggest question mark surrounding Ole Miss football entering Saturday’s matchup against LSU is the availability of the Rebels’ star quarterback Matt Corral. The Heisman Trophy candidate turned in a gritty performance for Ole Miiss’ 31-26 win over Tennessee last week, but took his fair share of hits in the process and subsequently left the game late in the fourth quarter with an apparent ankle injury.

During Friday’s appearance on the SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum Show, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was asked about Corral’s status just a day away from kickoff. Although he declined to discuss Corral’s availability, Kiffin did note that Ole Miss has a plan in place if he is not ready.

“Well, we’re hopeful he plays, just like all of our players that are injured. So, you know, if he doesn’t we’ll be ready and we have a good plan for him not playing, you know, make the most of this great atmosphere we’re going to have and find a way to win.

“I always expect our guys to play but we definitely have a good plan without him. And Luke Altmyer, who has done some really nice things in practice this week, is ready to go.”

If Corral is unable to go, it appears Kiffin and the Rebels’ backup plan features true freshman Luke Altmyer stepping in behind center. A 2021 four-star recruit out of Starkville, Miss., the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Altmyer enrolled early at Ole Miss in the Spring and has yet to complete a pass on four attempts so far this season.

Although Corral was forced to leave the field early last week, he did more than his fair share to help lead the Rebels to victory over Tennessee. Corral passed for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but also worked as the main workhorse out of the backfield for Ole Miss, registering 30 carries for 195 yards rushing.

After the dramatic win, Kiffin was at a loss for words to describe Corral’s heroic performance. The Ole Miss head coach admitted that the game plan was not for Corral to become the team’s No. 1 option at running back, but the young quarterback did it and put the Rebels on his back.

"The quarterback, I don't know what you say about him,” Kiffin said. “He doesn't have his left guard, he doesn't have two of his top three receivers, the tight end's out. And the guy ended up ... with sacks ... carrying the ball 30 times. That was not by design. Even some of the quarterback draws are by design because of the coverages. But you can't say enough about a guy to do that on the road and put the game on his shoulders.”

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The loss of Corral could be devastating for the Ole Miss offense which has operated without a hiccup this season. Through six games, Corral has already thrown for 1,728 yards and 14 touchdowns to just one interception while completing 66.3% of his passes. He is also on his way to shattering his own career-high in rushing, having racked up 450 yards and eight scores on the ground to this point.

SOURCE: Seats, Alex. "Matt Corral injury update: Lane Kiffin 'hopeful' for Ole Miss QB, discusses backup gameplan." 247Sports.com, 22 October 2021, https://247sports.com/Article/Matt-Corral-injury-update-Lane-Kiffin-hopeful-for-Ole-Miss-QB-discusses-backup-gameplan--173630948/