Lane Kiffin on loss vs. Alabama: ‘Really thought this was our shot’

On Saturday, Ole Miss traveled to Alabama in one of the highly anticipated games of Week 4. For a while, the game was close before the Crimson Tide pulled away and Nick Saban beat his former offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin for the fourth straight season.

After the game, Kiffin was asked about how he and Ole Miss move on from the loss and get ready for next week. However, he wasn’t ready to think about that, yet.

“I’m not there yet,” Lane Kiffin said. “This was really discouraging to come in here. I really thought this was our shot to beat these guys. Just thought there were some things there we could do, and didn’t get them done today.”

The schedule isn’t going to get any easier for Ole Miss next week. The LSU Tigers are making the trip to Oxford for what will be another ranked matchup. So, Kiffin will need to turn his attention there quickly.

“So, we’ll worry about next week, I guess, later today,” Kiffin concluded.

It was a frustrating loss for Ole Miss. Alabama appeared vulnerable due to the team’s ongoing issues at the quarterback position. At halftime, Ole Miss even led the game. However, the offense only scored 10 points after averaging 52.6 through its first three games.

Lane Kiffin, an offensive-minded head coach, took to Twitter after the game where he took the blame for the loss.

“Sorry to let you guys down,” Kiffin said. “We blew that one!! Came to win and didn’t get it done. Put it on me not our players ⁦@OleMissFB⁩ also give credit ⁦@AlabamaFTBL⁩ played really hard exp of defense. I will miss this match up.”

Thanks to conference realignment, it’s unclear when this game will be played again. They’re not scheduled to play in 2024. Alabama holds the all-time record in the series, 55-10-2.

Lane Kiffin on facing Nick Saban

Ahead of the game, Lane Kiffin shared his thoughts on facing Alabama head coach Nick Saban. As a former Saban assistant, he has a ton of respect for the legendary coach.

“I have so much appreciation for what Nick Saban did for me. I love going against him and seeing before the game,” Kiffin said.

“So, we’re very excited for this opportunity today — and you never know how many more you’ve got. Maybe this is our last time. So, we’ll be very excited for this opportunity today, and so much respect for Coach and the Alabama football program.”

Those comments drew a lot of attention for it possibly being their last game against one another. However, with the schedule change and Saban now in his 70s, it’s easy to see how this could be one of the last times the two compete directly on the field.