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Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin critical of NCAA rule changes favoring defense

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh09/27/23griffin_mcveigh
OLE MISS ALABAMA
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin vs. Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. Alabama won 24-10. (©Bruce Newman)

Rule changes made by the NCAA have been a big part of the story early in the 2023 season. The clock has been the biggest, with it not stopping after first downs outside of the final two minutes of halves. Pass interference has been a topic of discussion as well, with not too many flags being thrown on the defense.

Not everybody is a fan of the changes, with Ole Miss Lane Kiffin calling the NCAA out. He believes recent rule changes have been in favor of the defense, specifically when discussing pass interference. Kiffin says they do not “make a lot of sense.”

“Seems very unnecessary,” Kiffin said during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense. It seems like there have been a lot of, the last few changes — new ruling of pass interference. Used to be defensive pass interference, it’s not now. Seems like our rules recently are defensive oriented.”

Kiffin has spoken out against the clock rule previously, admitting he thinks the change was pointless. Nothing was wrong with how the sport was being played in his eyes. And as an offensive coach, you can understand his frustration with a possession being taken away from his team.

“I just don’t understand it,” Kiffin said after Week 1. “People pay to see, they sit down with their family to watch a game, they pay for tickets to go to a game and we’re going to shorten it? I mean it’s not like it was broke. And there’s a lot of problems that need to be fixed in the world around college football, and running the clock so the game’s quicker? I don’t get it.”

But it’s the pass interference rule Kiffin is most recently upset about. He thought of a moment during Saturday’s loss against Alabama where Ole Miss would have gotten for years. Instead, the Crimson Tide may have gotten away with one.

“That, to me, has a bigger impact,” Kiffin said. “Guy’s pushing the receiver for years. I think we had one in the game. For years, we’ve known that at defensive pass interference. Now, it’s not.”

Whether or not coaches are criticizing the NCAA for the rule changes, they are still in their infancy. It’s only been four games and some are still feeling out the process. Lane Kiffin has apparently seen enough to feel strongly about the clock and pass interference rules.