Kiffin next former assistant to try and snap Saban’s streak
Lane Kiffin gets the chance to snap one of the more interesting streaks in college football.
The new Mississippi coach faces his old boss, Nick Saban, when the Rebels take on No. 2 Alabama on Saturday in Oxford. Saban last week improved to 20-0 when facing teams led by one of his his former assistant coaches. The Crimson Tide hammered Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M team.
Kiffin worked as offensive coordinator for Saban from 2014-16, helping the Crimson Tide win a national title. Fittingly for a coach who has had a volatile career, Kiffin’s time with the Tide ended the week before another national championship.
Despite the awkward departure, Kiffin had a little fun with Saban this week, telling the “Dan Patrick Show” he didn’t think the “elderly” 68-year-old coach could cover him one-onone,
Saban said probably right.
“I guess what I would ask is, when he’s my age, what’s he going to do?” Saban told reporters. “I don’t know, it’s a little bit of a disadvantage to be my age and have had a hip replacement, but I still pride myself on my ability to cover. I just don’t think I can cover him.”
On the field, Alabama-Ole Miss has a chance to be a fun matchup between two highscoring teams, with an interesting side story. It is hardly the marquee event on a schedule that includes four game matching ranked teams — two in the Southeastern Conference and two in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Plus, a Red River Showdownheavy on desperation.
Kiffin was