Lane Kiffin praises Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada's toughness

Lane Kiffin is a fan of Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada. Although he’ll take his quarterback Matt Corral over just about anyone, Kiffin’s been impressed with his opponent for Saturday.

On this week’s SEC coaches teleconference, Kiffin took the time to laud Calzada’s toughness.

“Tough player,” Kiffin said regarding Calzada. “To go back in the game, like he has .. taking hits. Obviously extremely competitive kid.”

While Corral is tough in his own right, Calzada taking a licking and continuing to tick against Alabama impressed many. During their upset victory against the Crimson Tide, Calzada became a legend — leaving the game with an injury, only to come back and throw the game-winning touchdown.

Since, Texas A&M have been firing on all cylinders. If the remainder of the college football season can get as hectic as possible, the Aggies still have a shot at the College Football Playoff.

Kiffin: ‘I think they really figured it out vs. Alabama.’

As Kiffin readies to attempt to stymie Calzada, he’s watched the Aggies offense improve since their victory over Alabama. While Texas A&M found it tough to score points prior to that game, they’ve hit their stride ever since.

As Jimbo Fisher leads Texas A&M into Oxford, Kiffin had some kind words for his opponent’s offense.

“Well I think they really figured out vs. Alabama,” Kiffin began. “You know if you look statistically, the quarterback played by far best in that game vs. some very good defense and looked great. So they been able to run the ball almost the whole year with two great running backs and really good offensive line. And we’re gonna have our hands full.

“You know we’ve had issues with the run times throughout the year, and we know. So I would certainly think Jimbo’s gonna turn around and handball off a lot on Saturday.”

When Kiffin and Corral take on Fisher and Calzada, it’ll be must-see television from Oxford. Both quarterbacks can sling it, and they’ll have ample opportunities to do so in Saturday’s showdown.

A win on Saturday is all-important to both Lane Kiffin and Zach Calzada. As the game nears, the anticipation is mounting for what could be one of the best games of the entire season.