mrchase
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Lane Kiffin says it took 8 games before the Alabama offense found itself — and it came in a game in which the Tide only scored 19 points.
Alabama trailed Tennessee 14-13 with less than six minutes to play on Oct. 24, but the offense went 71 yards in 8 plays to take the lead back and win the game, including a 15-yard completion on 3rd-and-6. From there, the confidence changed.
“I go back to the Tennessee game,"" Kiffin said Wednesday. "For Jake (Coker) and the two young kids in Calvin (Ridley) and ArDarius (Scott)? Confidence is fragile. No matter how confident you are, until you really get that confidence and feel that, it’s hard to develop.
“In that game, because making plays — this is a defensive team — but they made plays to keep that drive alive and go down and score to win the game. That was very big. From that point, they’ve taken off.”
It wasn’t Derrick Henry that carried Alabama against Michigan State. It was the MVP performance of Coker, who attacked MSU in the flats before going over the top to Ridley for two long touchdowns.
“Even though there’s games we haven’t asked them to do as much, they’ve still, in every game since, made impact plays down the field,” Kiffin said. “Especially as you look at the last three games, Auburn, Florida and last week. All three of those games, there were a couple throws downfield and a couple plays downfield that were not made in the first half of the season. That’s the difference in the team.
“We’re still the same up front. It’s those guys changing the dynamics of the offense.”
Michigan State was in the bottom half nationally in giving up long passing plays, but Clemson is allowing just 1.1 completions per game of at least 30 yards. The attention is on Henry for good reason, but the Tide will need help from the passing game again to win the title.
Kiffin hasn’t coached in a title game under Saban before, but he was in several with Pete Carroll. He sees a similarity in the mindset.
“Pete Carroll used to say all the time, ‘Anybody can do it one time. If we’re going to have a championship program, you’re going to have to do it again and again,’” Kiffin said. “That’s the real sign of it. This is a perfect example of that. You’re in the middle of a dynasty because you’ve done it again and again throughout the process with different players and different coaches. It all goes back to Coach Saban, his philosophy, his process, and the players buying into it."
