With Saban’s stamp of approval, Lane Kiffin rises again

Lane Kiffin held court Saturday. In fact, it was the worst. Yet Kiffin shifted the focus of the Cotton Bowl game plan to quarterback Jake Coker, who completed 25 of 30 passes for a career-best 286 yards against a Michigan State defense stacked to stop the run.

Lane Kiffin was the last Alabama representative to stroll into the College Football Playoff national championship media day Saturday, and he did so in all his Kiffinesque glory. He was sacked after 20 games with the Oakland Raiders (2007-08). “He’s been great. He watches our games”.

“It’s been only two years, but it feels like 10 years because it’s with him”, Kiffin said.

USC, in a formal response to Steve Sarkisian’s wrongful termination lawsuit filed last month, says the suit violates an arbitration agreement the former coach had with the school and has taken aim at the accuracy of his claims, calling them “half-truths and, in many cases, outright falsehoods”. “The nightmare stories you hear…it’s a great example of not believing all the stuff that you read”.

“When and if that time comes, I know that I’m much better prepared than I was before because I’ve had the chance to be with coach Saban and learn from him”, said Kiffin, who admitted he tried “too much” to mimic mentor Pete Carroll in previous coaching stops.

Kiffin unloads about USC, his firing and Saban.

Sarkisian, 41, was sacked October 12, a day after being asked to take an indefinite leave of absence after he arrived to team facilities while, according to reports, appearing to be intoxicated.

“They packed up my stuff”, Kiffin said. “Because once the ball was kicked, nobody remembered how many players you had”. USC athletic director Pat Haden dismissed Kiffin in the wee hours of the morning at Los Angeles International Airport.

Little did Kiffin know, Haden had already chose to fire him during the game.

Kelly was sacked by the Philadelphia Eagles late in this past season after he seems to have worn out his welcome with his players. On the way in, he saw a glum J.K. McKay, Haden’s assistant. “I have a great job”.

In the locker room Kiffin told Haden, “At least we found our quarterback tonight”.

Haden sat with Kiffin and told him he would make a change.

Kiffin said he was not even allowed to return to the bus to retrieve his briefcase, and wasn’t allowed to return to his campus office to clean out his things, and was never allowed to address the team. “I learned about a lot of things”. Kiffin, in charge of the Trojans’ offense at the time, ultimately turned down the offer after serious consideration. “It was really hard to deal with”. Kiffin was driven home that night by a team security person. When Saban called after the 2013 season, Kiffin was in need of a place to jump start his career. This time, he said yes.

Kiffin will attempt Monday to help No. 2 Alabama (13-1) earn the school’s fourth national championship in the past seven seasons in a showdown with No. 1 Clemson (14-0) in Glendale, Ariz.

Saban cited Kiffin’s ability to create consistent production from a blend of offensive philosophies as a significant factor in the team’s title push.

“Coach Saban is very different”.

“I think it’s worked out as good as it can”, Kiffin said Saturday. “I think as I look back there was so much focus on just the offense and calling the plays on the offense. We were supposed to win like USC always did”. “We’re here to win”.

In truth, it was a private coffee room off to the side, as Kiffin detailed in a revealing account of the time he was let go at 4 in the morning after an excruciating loss to Arizona State on the road. Before that, I was here for USC’s NCAA hearing.