SEC Extra Points with Barrett Sallee: The New, Humble Lane Kiffin
Lane Kiffin Speaks
The folks at 103.7 The Buzz in Little Rock, Arkansas got the interview equivalent of catching a unicorn on Tuesday when they landed an interview with Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. He was in town as a finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to the nation's top assistant coach.
Saban's assistants only speak publicly once during the preseason, once during bowl preparation and when they're nominated for awards.
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Considering his team was just given the No. 1 seed in the upcoming College Football Playoff and star wide receiver Amari Cooper was just nominated for the Heisman Trophy, it was perfect timing.
Of the many nuggets in the interview, one of the most interesting tidbits was the time he spent examining the Alabama offense last December, before he even got the job.
"He brought me in there for eight days and said 'Hey, just hang out and look around,'" Kiffin said. "People said, 'What the heck is Lane Kiffin going to say to Nick Saban?' I was thinking the same thing. But that just shows you how he is. He's always wanting to get better.
"A couple of weeks later, a job became available and he brought me in for a formal interview, and it's been great. I couldn't be more appreciative for doing that. It wasn't an easy thing for him to do. He took a lot of criticism and heat for it. I'm really proud that it worked out, for him especially."
Humility?
Who is this man and what has he done with Lane Kiffin?
It bodes well for Kiffin's future that he was successful this season under Saban. Whether it's Jimbo Fisher, Jim McElwain or others who have come from Saban's coaching tree, Kiffin's ability to coach within Saban's structure while still pushing Saban and the Alabama offense to evolve will get him looks as a head coach sooner rather than later.
This year? Probably not considering Kiffin is oil to Michigan's water. If others open down the road either this year or next, don't be surprised if he gets a look.
That humility, of course, will help open those doors.
How humble is he? He even joked about the "conversations" he has with Saban on the sideline, Saban's policy on assistants speaking to the media and Saban's height during his Broyles Award speech (3:15 mark).
Apparently, he's a comedian now too.
A Unique Challenge
Mississippi State will head to its first Orange Bowl since 1941, and when it gets there, it'll face a unique challenge.
The stout Bulldog front seven will have nearly a month to prepare for the triple-option Georgia Tech attack which has racked up 333.6 yards per game—the third-best mark in the nation.
"We try to be a very sound defense," head coach Dan Mullen said on Sunday's Orange Bowl teleconference. "You have to be very disciplined and sound when you play an option football team. We've run some option, albeit a very different style than what [Georgia Tech coach] Paul [Johnson] runs at Georgia Tech. The big challenge is simulating what they do in a practice format."
Zach Laskey and Synjyn Days provide a solid one-two punch at running back, but it's the quarterback and leading rusher Justin Thomas who really makes the offense tick.
Thomas, a Prattville, Alabama native, came to Georgia Tech as a highly touted athlete who can run and throw.
| Justin Thomas | QB | 176 | 965 | 5 |
| Zach Laskey | RB | 161 | 788 | 9 |
| Synjyn Days | RB | 136 | 753 | 6 |
He's the perfect man to run the triple-option and nearly impossible for Mullen to replicate in practice. Who will play the Justin Thomas role for the Bulldogs in bowl prep?
"We have a freshman who we're redshirting this year, Nick Fitzgerald, who ran an option offense in high school," Mullen said. "He would probably be our best guy to do that because he has a little bit of a background of running option football."
While you won't see him on the field at the Orange Bowl, Fitzgerald is the most important player on the Bulldogs roster. If he can give the defense good looks in practice, nothing it sees inside Sun Life Stadium will surprise it.
Opposites Attract
TCU will bring one of the top offenses into the Georgia Dome for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl when it takes on an Ole Miss program that has been living off of its stingy defense.
Wait, what?
TCU head coach Gary Patterson is known as a defensive guru, while Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze got his job in Oxford on the heels of his potent, high-octane offense.
The irony of the two teams' strengths isn't lost on Freeze.
"He's the defensive guru that I wanted to learn from, and I probably have been more on the offensive side of the ball," he said. "It'll be an interesting matchup, one in which we're looking forward to representing our conference and our great university there."
If you're looking for defense in this one, you will see it—although the scoreboard might not reflect it.
Ole Miss is one of the hardest-hitting units you'll see in college football, but under the direction of co-offensive coordinators Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham, this Horned Frog offense will find ways to move the football.
Quarterback Trevone Boykin and the wide receiver tandem of Josh Doctson and Kolby Listenbee will put pressure on that vaunted "landshark" defense and put a dent in the scoreboard.
It'll be up to Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace to keep up and give his defense a chance to make some game-changing turnovers in the fourth quarter. If "Good Bo" shows up, expect the secondary to act as the closer late to lead Ole Miss to a 10-win season.
Worth It
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones parlayed the Volunteers' first big bowl into a contract extension on Monday—with, of course, a little help from that Michigan job remaining open.
According to a release from the school, the second-year head coach agreed to a deal that will keep him on Rocky Top through the 2020 season.
Athletic director Dave Hart spoke about the decision:
"When you are rebuilding a program you face a lot of challenges in an effort to change the culture. It takes a tireless effort in everyone in the organization to make that come to fruition. Clearly the most critical piece is leadership and we have the right man leading our football program at the University of Tennessee.
"
He's right. Sure, the 11-13 overall record and 5-11 mark in the SEC over the last two seasons aren't exactly something to write home about, but the progress of the program can't be ignored.
With a roster that's loaded with underclassmen, Jones' team broke through that glass ceiling this year and earned a bowl trip—and critical bowl practices—despite one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Couple that experience with an incoming class that's ranked fifth in the nation, and the future looks bright.
Jones deserves a lot of the credit for where the program is and where it's going, and Hart is wise to lock him up. Had he not, other athletic directors would be beating down his door next season.
Quick Outs
- Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason is relieving assistants of their duties with "SEC speed." Defensive coordinator David Kotulski, offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell, receivers coach Marc Lubick and conditioning coordinator Bill Hughan have all been let go. Of course, a 3-9 record and a winless SEC season tend to bring about such outcomes—especially for a program coming off back-to-back nine-win seasons.
- Will Muschamp watch...continues. It seems like the favorite among South Carolina, Texas A&M and Auburn changes by the hour, although ESPN.com's Travis Haney (subscription required) reported that Auburn is the favorite. Wherever he lands, the future is bright for Muschamp—yes, even as a head coach.
- LSU quarterback Brandon Harris really needs to see time under center vs. Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl. There's going to be another quarterback battle between Harris and starter Anthony Jennings this offseason anyway, so at least give Harris more snaps in games for experience and make it a fair fight.
- Texas head coach Charlie Strong and Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema are super-pumped for the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl press conference. See?
"Arkansas with a distinct size advantage. pic.twitter.com/kQhiqu5j1F
— Mike Finger (@mikefinger) December 9, 2014"
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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