Casagrande: Lane Kiffin is back, the depressed clown who can’t seem to get past Saban
It’s not due to a lack of trying.
When Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin noticed the buzzards circling the Alabama football programme, he unleashed every trick in his small book of mischief. Kiffin is possibly the best
person to tease Nick Saban with. And nobody enjoys it more, for sure.
But substance is needed when it matters and the smoke bombs are evident.
Kiffin still lacks it, too.
For the same reasons that a week before, a two-touchdown difference was vital, so too was Alabama’s 24-10 victory over Ole Miss. It matters how you carried it out. After defeating South Florida 17-3, the Crimson Tide played some prime-Saban bully ball against Ole Miss in the second half, bringing back memories of the Shula era.
Although the first half was far from flawless, it appeared that the pride had returned following the previous several weeks’ challenges by Alabama football alumni. With a sly smile on his face, Saban alluded to the discipline needed when his team’s fifth touchdown of the year is nullified by a penalty or when they fail to score when establishing a drive at the Ole Miss 1-yard line.
Thus, Saban uttered.
This is where context matters, because it’s difficult to forget how comparatively hopeless things were only a week ago.
Undoubtedly, Kiffin detected the vulnerability, just as he did a year prior, when Alabama hobbled into Oxford a week following a playoff-erasing defeat at LSU.
During an unplanned Sunday zoom chat with reporters, Kiffin fired the opening shot across the state line. It was a new level of trolling to question who is really calling the defensive plays for Alabama, especially because Kiffin doesn’t often interact with the media on Sunday nights. Because of this, Saban had to prepare a statement for his news conference on Monday in addition to handling the problems at quarterback, offensive line, and overall performance that had not been questioned him.
All this week, Kiffin maintained his characteristic understatement.
The man was employed by Saban for three seasons in a move that puzzled onlookers both then and now.
Saban is the epitome of a straight-laced old school person.
Kiffin’s the rascal who couldn’t stay out of trouble at school.
Their Alabama marriage definitely didn’t end well in a mid-playoff breakup following a fragmented offensive semifinal performance while Kiffin geared for a head coaching position at FAU.
Kiffin has never waited to praise Nick Saban the greatest of all time and to thank him for preserving his coaching career since joining the SEC.
Without a doubt real, but also grinning and winking.
When he added the last shot, he was in that routine on the SEC Network on Saturday morning.
Kiffin built up the joke by saying, “We’re excited for this opportunity today and you never know how many more you’ve got.” “This might be our last visit.”
It was obvious to everyone that Saban’s programme was facing serious challenges as he approached his 72nd birthday.
However, much as at Oxford the previous year, Kiffin scented blood before being hit in the mouth.
He’s now 0-5 coaching against Saban.
And with the new SEC scheduling format starting next fall that doesn’t include Alabama-Ole Miss, one can only wonder if Kiffin will ever complete the troll and actually beat Saban.
His old buddy Kirby Smart’s did it in the national championship game.
An even older buddy, Steve Sarkisian, did it two weeks ago and in decisive fashion.
Jimbo Fisher, to be clear, isn’t a buddy but he was the first former assistant to school the teacher.
But Kiffin’s still standing on his sideline with a party hat, probably arms folded with that blank stare.
And maybe there’s some sad clown makeup fading from the retirement party Kiffin scheduled but Saban canceled.
There’d be no abdication Saturday but not for a lack of effort.
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