Kiffin: Who runs Tide’s D?
Not once, but twice this week, Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin implied Alabama Coach Nick Saban has turned over play-calling duties on defense from coordinator Kevin Steele to defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson.
Could Kiffin — who worked at Alabama as Saban’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16 — simply be trying to create a distraction for his old boss going into the Rebels’ game against the Crimson Tide on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala?
It seems like something Kiffin would do.
When Kiffin held a video conference with media members Sunday, he said it looked like Robinson, rather than Steele, called defensive plays in Alabama’s 17-3 victory at South Florida.
Steele is in his third stint as an assistant for Saban at Alabama. Robinson has previous defensive coordinator experience at South Carolina from 20162020.
“We’ve [played] against Kevin a number of times,” Kiffin said. “Worked with him at Alabama, then played against him at Auburn and LSU.
“But it seems like there’s been a change there. I don’t know what happened after the Texas game.”
Texas won 34-24 at Alabama two weeks ago.
“Our guys watching the TV copy schematically in this last game [at South Florida], it certainly seems like T-Rob’s now calling the defense,” Kiffin said. “We played him before at South Carolina, so we’re preparing accordingly for him calling the defense.
“He’s done a good job, too. And they’ve got really good players.”
When Saban held his weekly news conference Monday, he didn’t wait to be asked about Kiffin’s comments.
“On this other thing I hear floating around out there, and I’m sure you’ve seen the same reports that I’ve seen … Kevin Steele is the defensive coordinator,” Saban said in his opening remarks without mentioning Kiffin by name. “He has all the defensive coordinator responsibilities.
“The only thing that we tried to improve from an administrative standpoint was game day administration of getting the signals in quicker, alright?
“So that was the only thing we worked on as a staff, and the whole staff made a contribution to it and I think it was a lot better in this game [against South Florida] than it was in the Texas game.”
Naturally when Kiffin met with the media again Monday, he was asked about Saban’s reaction to his comments.
“I was asked the question what was it like going against Steele’s defense,” Kiffin said. “I wasn’t really trying to start this big thing.
“We saw things on the TV copy just where it was different. First off, what the play looked like and the calls and stuff. We looked into that further.
“It’s not a secret that people in these buildings know each other, so we obviously got some information that way, too.
“It is what it is, kind of like the quarterbacks. You prepare for a different quarterback, you prepare for a different play-caller. We’ve got game film of that.
“I’m not sure whatever transpired after Texas, but we’re going to have our hands full no matter what.”
A reporter couldn’t resist asking Saban on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference about his reaction to Kiffin’s comments and whether they bothered him.
“I don’t really have a reaction to it,” Saban said. “I’m concerned about what we do with our team, our coaches, and how they work together as a unit to do the best job for our players. I’m not really concerned about anything else.”
Boos heard
Before junior quarterback Brady Cook helped Missouri beat No. 12 Kansas State 3027 last week at Faurot Field, some fans booed him in pregame introductions.
“I hear it. It’s hard,” Cook told reporters after the game. “This is my dream school. All I want to do is play quarterback here. I’d like it if everyone else wanted me to play quarterback here.”
Despite suffering a knee injury, Cook didn’t come out of the game and completed 23 of 35 passes for 356 yards and 2 touchdowns without an interception. He also had a 1-yard touchdown run.
“I’m going say it — it pissed me off when we booed our starting quarterback to start the game,” Missouri Coach
Eli Drinkwitz said in his postgame news conference. “That pissed me off.
“And he went out there and played his butt off for this university and this team. They need to get behind him. We need to get behind the young man.
“You want boo me? Fine. You don’t boo the starting quarterback. It’s bull crap.”
Cook, who is from St. Louis, is starting for the second consecutive season, but he had to beat out redshirt freshman Sam Horn, a highly-recruited quarterback from Georgia.
“Why are we still asking questions to defend Brady Cook right now?” Drinkwitz said. “The dude’s a good football player. He’s a really good football player. Quit asking me about it.”
Back at Vandy
Running back Ray Davis is on the other side of the Kentucky-Vanderbilt game this season.
Davis, a senior, transferred to Kentucky this year after rushing for 1,042 yards for the Commodores last season — including 129 yards in their 24-21 victory at Kentucky.
Vanderbilt plays host to Kentucky on Saturday.
“It’s a lot of love for those guys,” Davis said of his former Vanderbilt teammates when he spoke with reporters Tuesday. “But when Saturday comes, that love is gone and I’m trying to go get a ‘W’ and beat them.”
Davis is off to a strong start at Kentucky with 36 carries for 236 yards and 1 touchdown and 9 receptions for 143 yards — the most receiving yards for an SEC running back — and 2 touchdowns.
“Ray has that strong, physical style that we’re looking for, but he also can make some people miss as has been evident by the explosive runs that he’s had, and explosive pass catches as well,” Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops said Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference. “He’s made a big difference for us.
“He’s really done a great job as far as being a leader. He’s played a lot of football in the SEC, so he knows what he’s getting into and I’m sure it’ll be a different challenge for him this week.
“He’s just got to stay within himself and play the game the way he knows how to play. It was quite aggravating for myself to sit there and have to watch last year’s film and see what he did against us and how well he played.
“So he’s just got to go do what he’s capable of and trust his teammates.”
During Vanderbilt Coach Clark Lea’s weekly news conference Tuesday, he spoke highly of Davis
“Ray’s a good player,” Lea said. “He was good when he was here. He’s got good vision. Good feet.
“He’s got a knack for finding the open space. He’s got a knack for knowing when to cut back and get against the grain and break the long one.
“He’s also a really good receiver in the pass game and we saw that when he was here. I see that not only are they using him as a check-down option, but they’re also designing catches for him in the offense, which I think is really smart because he can do that.”
Lea said he had “a great conversation” with Davis when he began thinking of leaving Vanderbilt.
“At that point, he was exploring options,” Lea said. “One of which was an NFL future and then the possibility of playing his last year of eligibility somewhere else.
“I supported the decision, just like I do anytime. My job is not to control, but to support, to be behind young people as they try to plot their way in life and have the best experience they can.
“I look forward to seeing him on Saturday. I’m happy for him that he found a home and has had success.”
Going for two
Auburn junior linebacker Jalen McLeod is hoping to win at Texas A&M for the second consecutive season.
McLeod was a key player in Appalachian State’s 17-14 victory at Kyle Field last season when he had two sacks and forced two fumbles to help the Mountaineers shock the Aggies.
“It’s a boost of confidence,” McLeod told reporters this week about last season’s game. “It gets you like, [thinking], ‘OK, now make it two times.’
“Can’t have it be a onetrick pony. It was one game. Got to make it two times.”
SEC record kick
Missouri senior Harrison Mevis’ 61-yard field goal on the last play of the Tigers’ 30-27 victory over Kansas State set an SEC record.
The previous record was 60 yards by three players: Tennessee’s Fuad Reveiz in a 31-21 loss to Georgia Tech in 1982; Georgia’s Kevin Butler in a 26-23 win over Clemson in 1984; and Florida’s Chris Perkins in a 62-21 win over Tulane in 1984.
Reveiz, Butler and Perkins kicked their 60-yard field goals using a tee, which was prohibited starting with the 1989 season.
Mevis’ 61-yarder was not a Missouri school record. That’s still held by Tom Whelihan, who made a 62-yard field goal for the Tigers in their 17-12 loss to Colorado in 1986 when both teams were in the Big Eight.
Out of top 10
Alabama won 17-3 at South Florida last week, but considering the Bulls are 4-31 since 2019, the margin of victory for the Crimson Tide didn’t impress voters in The Associated Press poll.
Alabama had dropped from No. 10 to No. 13 in the AP rankings Monday.
It ended a streak of 128 consecutive AP polls in which the Tide were ranked in the top 10.
Alabama hadn’t been ranked outside of the top 10 since Sept. 27, 2015, when the Tide fell from No. 2 to No. 12 after a 43-37 home loss to Ole Miss.
The Tide recovered and won 12 consecutive games to finish the season 14-1, capped by a 45-40 victory over Clemson to win the national championship.