LSU head coach Lane Kiffin addressed his new team's upcoming clash with his old team, Ole Miss, and drove home the point that it's all about the players on the field, not the coaches. It will feature a showdown between the No. 7 Tigers and No. 8 Rebels, coached by Kiffin's former defensive coordinator, Pete Golding. However, the spotlight remains heavily on Kiffin as he returns to coach against his former team.
"I think it is unusual, like you said, one team you built and now a new team you're building, and so probably a really unusual situation that way. I know, obviously, a lot's gonna be made about me, but this is about the players being prepared very well and playing very well," Kiffin told reporters. "Pete’s not gonna tackle anybody; I’m not gonna throw any touchdowns," he said regarding the two coaches not participating in the action on the field.
More news: Ole Miss HC Pete Golding Sends Clear Message on Clash With LSU, Lane Kiffin Kiffin said that in preparing his players, he talked to them about this being the first SEC game and how both teams are 2-0 to start the season. He said the focus has been on preparing as well as possible, rather than on all the talk surrounding the matchup or the schools. "...And it won't be about all the other stuff and all the noise and everything, it'll be about how well did we practice, how well did we prepare, so how well did we play on game day going into a place that's had a lot of success there," he said.
Kiffin praised Ole Miss for having the second-longest win streak in the country and has "phenomenal players," including last season's "best-playing quarterback, running back, and kicker in the country." Kiffin stressed that his players will have to play very well to contend with Golding's Ole Miss Rebels, which feature standout quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, who already has three touchdowns in two games. LSU features exciting quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has compiled 574 yards and two touchdowns. Both LSU and Ole Miss have played and defeated ACC opponents early this season.
Ole Miss picked up a 41-38 win to begin their season, while LSU put college football on notice by destroying Clemson, 51-10, in their opener. The two squads followed up those wins by comfortably beating unranked foes. Kiffin made headlines during Ole Miss's run to the CFP last season when he decided to become the new head coach at LSU.
Golding took over as the Rebels' head coach, coaching the team during their CFP games, with Kiffin rooting them on from afar. This season, Kiffin made headlines again, but for different reasons.LSU's attempt to add players who signed NFL contracts and participated in training camps drew much scrutiny and backlash. Kiffin and the school ultimately backed away from those roster moves as the rest of the SEC was ready to take action to kick LSU out of the conference.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
