Lane Kiffin doubles down on his fourth down decisions against Alabama

Ole Miss was thoroughly dominated by Alabama on Saturday afternoon 42-21, and the final score was much closer than the game actually was. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was hyper-aggressive on fourth down in the game and while he had some early success, he failed a number of times in critical situations and it backfired.

The Rebels went 2-for-5 on fourth down situations. After the game, many people were questioning Kiffin’s decision to be so ultra-aggressive and asked him whether or not he regretted it. He spoke with the media and made sure everybody knew he had no regrets.

“You can punt and then they’ll score,” Kiffin said. “They scored on every possession but one in the first half. I know it looks bad when it doesn’t work but when you punt it away, it just takes longer for them to score.”

The fourth-down that Kiffin went for which will likely draw the most criticism is when Ole Miss was facing fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line. Still, Kiffin believes the decision was sound. Furthermore, he wasn’t going for it because Alabama was across from them but rather still going for it in spite of Alabama being across from them.

“One hundred percent you go for it. That’s the other way. A lot of people don’t do it because it’s scared money. When you’re at the blackjack table and you have $5, it’s easy. Put a couple thousand out there and now you get scared. I said we weren’t going to do that.”

Down 14-0 in the 2nd quarter, the Rebels called a speed option to running back Jerrion Ealy. The Alabama defense sniffed it out and Ealy was tackled for a four-yard loss by star linebacker Henry To’o To’o. The Crimson Tide then drove the ball down and scored, making it 21-0.

Costly Turnover

Perhaps the nail in the Ole Miss coffin in this one was the costly fumble by quarterback Matt Corral late in the second quarter. He dropped back and was met by the gargantuan human being that is Alabama defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis. Mathis jarred the ball free with a hit, then it was recovered by Crimson Tide defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe. Alabama then took the ball down and scored, making it 28-0 before halftime.

The Crimson Tide simply dominated the line of scrimmage all afternoon on both sides of the football. Their defense held Ole Miss to just 78 rushing yards (2.3 yards per attempt). Nick Saban’s defense held the nation’s leading offense attack to just 291 total yards.

On offense, Alabama simply pounded the ball right down the Rebel’s throats. After it was all said and done, the Crimson Tide gashed the Rebels for 210 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on the ground.

Alabama running back Brian Robinson, Jr.

Brian Robinson absolutely dominated the game. He had 36 carries for 177 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Simply put, the Ole Miss defense could find no answer to stop Robinson, Jr. and the Bama rushing attack. His longest run of the game was a 21-yard run, but the yards he got were tough, hard-nosed, and grind-it-out type yards. The talented tailback surpassed the 100-yard rushing yard mark for the first time in his Alabama career. His head coach applauded him for his perseverance earlier this season.