Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin entered this weekend’s game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, facing significant pressure. His key player, Tre Harris’, presence was questionable for the game. Someone had to step up, right? Jordan Watkins not only raised his hand but made sure he created history by setting a new Ole Miss record with five touchdowns. Watkins was not the only guy who stood out.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart also shattered Ole Miss records for passing yards and touchdown throws in a single game. He surpassed Matt Corral and Eli Manning during the Rebels’ 63-31 victory over Arkansas. The Rebels are on track, and every single victory counts. It looks like Arkansas fans are not able to digest their recent defeat. One of the fans disrespected HC’s elder daughter, Landry, and Knox Kiffin, Lane Kiffin’s son, had to confront the fan.

The whole exchange happened under a post on the Razorbacks’ fan page called ‘Old Row Arkansas’. The Insta post had mocked the ‘Ole Miss Rebels’ team as a ‘potential fraud’ in a meme before the game. “WTF EVEN IS A HOTTY TODDY??? DOESNT EVEN MATTER BC THEY DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT THEIR OWN MASCOT IS AND THE ONLY THING THEY CARE ABOUT IT MAKING THEIR NEXT TIKTOK HOGS BY 90,” the post caption mentioned.

Following the victory, Knox commented, “This aged well,” and received a strange comment. “Could you give me Landry’s number? She bad asf,” the admin of the Insta page replied to Knox’s message.

After reading the comment, Knox could not stop him from replying, and he wrote, “Yeah, it’s 63-31,” taking a dig at the Razorbacks’ defeat. The heated virtual conversation did not stop there. After the head coach saw the screenshot of the comment section, he approved of his son’s actions by commenting, “63-31 😂” But one thing is for sure, when it comes to football, asking what Hotty Toddy is somewhat naive because it is something that has been inseparable from the Rebels. So what does it mean?

Well, to tell the truth, there is no concrete meaning of the phrase. But some suggestions on its origin have been there previously. A popular one is that it descended after the Virginia Tech Regimental Band called The Highty Tighties, derived from a cheer used throughout World War II, associated with the description of a warm alcoholic drink.

The Virginia Tech Regimental Band website reads, “By 1919, the Regimental Band began to be known as the Highty-Tighties. The origin of the name has been hotly debated for years — some claimed it was part of a cheer, others claimed it sprang from a trip to Richmond where the Corps and Band marched in honor of Field Marshal Foch, the supreme allied commander of WW-I. Supposedly the drum major had dropped and then recovered his baton while rendering a salute in front of the reviewing stand and someone in the crowd yelled hoity-toity. Southwest Virginia slang had supposedly turned this into Highty-Tighty.”

The first official Ole Miss connection, or, so to say, the first documented evidence of the phrase (then written as “Heighty! Tighty!”) can be dated back to a November 19, 1926 copy of the student newspaper, The Mississippian. In the newspaper that day, the following appeared:

Heighty! Tighty!

Gosh A Mighty!

Who in the h–l are we?

Rim! Ram! Flim! Flam!

Ole Miss, by D–m

Since that first appearance, the Ole Miss cheer has just been passed down generation after generation of Rebels fans. Today, with a different spelling, it has become a part of the culture of the Ole Miss football. Interestingly, it’s the answer to “Are You Ready?” As it stands at present,

Are You Ready?

Hell Yeah! Damn Right!

Hotty Toddy, Gosh Almighty,

Who The Hell Are We? Hey!

Flim Flam, Bim Bam

Ole Miss By Damn!

ESPN’s Doug Ward had written about the chant, “‘Hotty Toddy’ has no real meaning, but it means everything in Oxford. For students, fans and alumni, it is a greeting, cheer and secret handshake all rolled into one. ‘Hotty Toddy’ is the spirit of Ole Miss.” We can not agree more. Whenever an Ole Miss fan finds an Ole Miss logo or design on a shirt or hat, they proudly say, “Hotty Toddy.” In return, the other person proclaims a warm “Hotty Toddy.” And it no longer is a local cry.

Several celebrities from has joined leading the chant via recordings in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Betty White, Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry, Jack Black, and Mississippi native Morgan Freeman are some of them who have hyped the crowd with recorded Hotty Toddy messages. The Chant is in its full glory during the Ole Miss’ home games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford five minutes before kickoff.

Immediately before kickoff, a “secret” celebrity guest appears on the jumbotron asking the crowd, “Are You Ready?” The hyped up fans roar back, “Hotty Toddy!”

Soaked in that culture, football is love for the Kiffin family. Landry Kiffin, HC’s daughter, often supports her father and his team. While Knox is beginning to carve out his own path in football. In June, Knox extended an offer from the SMU Mustangs after participating in a camp with the program. It will be interesting to see him in the 2028 batch making waves as a quarterback like his dad.

After a challenging loss to LSU, the Ole Miss Rebels have rebounded impressively, securing two consecutive victories to regain momentum as the season intensifies. Keeping the momentum and maintaining the winning streak is very crucial for Kiffin and the squad as the season intensifies. Let’s hear Dart and Watkins’ statements after the victory.

Jaxson Dart and Jordan Watkins shine against Arkansas

The Ole Miss Rebels had a lot to consider before their game against Arkansas, as this season was at stake in a tough atmosphere. If we take a closer look at their performance throughout the season, they lost the momentum after their first defeat against Kentucky. And yesterday’s performance was much needed to show their opponents that they are still in the game. While Watkins scored five touchdowns and completed 2254 receiving yards, QB Jaxson Dart shined as well. He threw for four touchdowns and completed 321 yards in the first half.

Dart connected with Watkins for three of those touchdowns. Their connection was visible. He completed two long passes of 62 and 66 yards on consecutive drives. Dart displayed an impressive performance when the team needed him the most and completed 25 out of 31 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns. All of these accomplishments were overshadowed by the big news: the birth of Watkins’ daughter.

Sports Illustrated reported Watkins’ statement after the game, where he spoke about their rough times and support from the team during the difficult times. “Yeah, I mean the last couple weeks, they’ve been pretty rough. We were actually supposed to have the baby this Monday. Found out that she was going to be coming early, right in the middle of game week. It was chaotic, but it’s a good thing that I have my teammates around me, and they were able to pick me up.”

Talking about the performance, he said, “Obviously, having the performance I did today, that’s all because of them. Really blessed to be out here with these guys and come out on top like we did today.” 

After a tough loss to LSU, the Ole Miss Rebels were determined to turn their season around in their game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Quarterback Jaxson Dart expressed confidence heading into the matchup, stating, “I actually had a good feeling about today. Thought we had a good week of practice. I knew that we were ready.” He added, “That’s what I echoed in the locker room, that we were ready for this.” His performance speaks exactly the same. Yes, they were all set. 

However, they cannot be overconfident. Coming Saturday, they will face one of the strongest teams in college football; playing against the Georgia Bulldogs is not going to be easy. Let’s see if they will continue to win or if the Bulldogs have some other plans for them.