Alabama17Tide
Member
During an interview before Januaryās national title game, Kiffin was asked about his former assistant, Clay Helton, and he just couldnāt help himself.
āThis morning my son Knox says, āHey Daddy, weāre going to be in Dallas and weāre going to whip USC next year,āāā he said. āI didnāt think about it, but now that I think about it, I canāt help Clay.āā
Funny, but nobody had asked about the USC game. Kiffin just rolled the subplot out there, wound it up, and giggled as it started ticking.
People who know Kiffin know there are all sorts of emotions involving USC that are hidden beneath that boyish exterior ā anger, remorse, revenge ā all ready to spill out Saturday on the sidelines of the season opener at AT&T Stadium.
The oversized white visor will be bobbing. The baggy white jacket will be billowing. With every Tide roll, Kiffin will be fist pumping. With every big Trojan stop, Kiffin will be hiding behind that giant white play card and scowling.
NCAA sanctions, and is still proud of his 28-15 record under challenging circumstances.
āIt was really difficult to deal with,āā he said about what he called the lowest point in his professional career.
The Trojan fans watching all this angst will have to gulp hard and hope for the best, because the alternative is the absolute worst.
If 20th-ranked USC can somehow slow top-ranked and defending champion Alabama, cut into that double-digit point spread, make it respectable, maybe even pull off a monumental upset, then its fans can walk away with relieved smiles and the comforting notion that, whew, Kiff is still nutty Kiff.
But if Alabama wins big? If Kiffinās offense dominates a team that still has 19 players who played for him? If Kiffinās schemes outsmart a staff that still has five coaches who worked for him? It will not only be hard to watch, but raise interesting questions.
Was getting fired by USC the best thing to ever happen to Kiffin? And did the firing push USC down a wild slide that resulted in three coaching changes and the retirement of an athletic director in less than three years?
There is no question that Kiffin, while a brilliant offensive mind, was unsuited to be the head coach of a major college football team back then. His firing was oddly timed, but perfectly justified.
However, since then, there is also no question that Kiffin has gotten the better end of the deal.
Since Kiffin was fired after a blowout loss at Arizona State, USC has a record of 24-12, with bowl games in San Diego and Las Vegas.
Since Kiffin was hired as boss of Alabamaās offense, the Tide is 26-3 with one national title and two College Football Playoff appearances.
Since Kiffin left town, the Trojans have watched Ed Orgeron walk away in a huff, Steve Sarkisian get pushed out before filing a lawsuit, and Pat Haden retire.
Pac-12 Conference media days. āSo to see that chess match, see it played out, I wish sometimes I could just have a box of popcorn and watch it.āā
Lane Kiffin would love to butter it. Trojan fans can hope they donāt choke on it.
bill.plaschke@latimes.com
It's going to be awkward when USC runs into its ex, Lane Kiffin, and Alabama
āThis morning my son Knox says, āHey Daddy, weāre going to be in Dallas and weāre going to whip USC next year,āāā he said. āI didnāt think about it, but now that I think about it, I canāt help Clay.āā
Funny, but nobody had asked about the USC game. Kiffin just rolled the subplot out there, wound it up, and giggled as it started ticking.
People who know Kiffin know there are all sorts of emotions involving USC that are hidden beneath that boyish exterior ā anger, remorse, revenge ā all ready to spill out Saturday on the sidelines of the season opener at AT&T Stadium.
The oversized white visor will be bobbing. The baggy white jacket will be billowing. With every Tide roll, Kiffin will be fist pumping. With every big Trojan stop, Kiffin will be hiding behind that giant white play card and scowling.
NCAA sanctions, and is still proud of his 28-15 record under challenging circumstances.
āIt was really difficult to deal with,āā he said about what he called the lowest point in his professional career.
The Trojan fans watching all this angst will have to gulp hard and hope for the best, because the alternative is the absolute worst.
If 20th-ranked USC can somehow slow top-ranked and defending champion Alabama, cut into that double-digit point spread, make it respectable, maybe even pull off a monumental upset, then its fans can walk away with relieved smiles and the comforting notion that, whew, Kiff is still nutty Kiff.
But if Alabama wins big? If Kiffinās offense dominates a team that still has 19 players who played for him? If Kiffinās schemes outsmart a staff that still has five coaches who worked for him? It will not only be hard to watch, but raise interesting questions.
Was getting fired by USC the best thing to ever happen to Kiffin? And did the firing push USC down a wild slide that resulted in three coaching changes and the retirement of an athletic director in less than three years?
There is no question that Kiffin, while a brilliant offensive mind, was unsuited to be the head coach of a major college football team back then. His firing was oddly timed, but perfectly justified.
However, since then, there is also no question that Kiffin has gotten the better end of the deal.
Since Kiffin was fired after a blowout loss at Arizona State, USC has a record of 24-12, with bowl games in San Diego and Las Vegas.
Since Kiffin was hired as boss of Alabamaās offense, the Tide is 26-3 with one national title and two College Football Playoff appearances.
Since Kiffin left town, the Trojans have watched Ed Orgeron walk away in a huff, Steve Sarkisian get pushed out before filing a lawsuit, and Pat Haden retire.
Pac-12 Conference media days. āSo to see that chess match, see it played out, I wish sometimes I could just have a box of popcorn and watch it.āā
Lane Kiffin would love to butter it. Trojan fans can hope they donāt choke on it.
bill.plaschke@latimes.com
It's going to be awkward when USC runs into its ex, Lane Kiffin, and Alabama
