Lane Kiffin asks media to stop upsetting Nick Saban ahead of Oct. 2 matchup

Lane Kiffin does not want to face an angry Nick Saban on Oct. 2.

On Wednesday, Kiffin begged the media to stop talking up Alabama’s weaknesses, knowing that often leads to a nightmare for Saban’s future opponents.

“Great team, great players,” Kiffin said of the No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide on Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “I wish the media would stop upsetting Coach Saban saying that this is a weak team, they’ve got weaknesses. I mean, they went on the road against a Top-10 team, into the Swamp, and won with a freshman quarterback. Got an early lead and hung on in the end. And now all of a sudden it’s not a good team, they’ve got weaknesses and can’t stop people. That don’t really help us a lot (having) been around there, knowing how that place works.”

Kiffin invoked one of this week’s other storylines – South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer saying his team was trounced by the Bulldogs because of the overwhelming number of former five-star signings on the roster – to talk about the Crimson Tide.

“This is a great team and like Coach Beamer said of playing Georgia, of all the 5-stars out there, these guys more than anybody are loaded with them,” Kiffin added.

Alabama had seven five-star recruits in their 2021 class alone. Kiffin made sure Beamer did not forget that when he tweeted at the first-year head coach on the topic this morning.

Kiffin added that Alabama is amassing talent with the transfer portal now as well.

“And now you have a second problem – now they get to take the best players from other places, like the receiver from Ohio State or the linebacker from Tennessee, so now more than ever you’re going into a place where there are phenomenal players all over the place,” Kiffin added, referring to Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams and Tennessee transfer Henry To’o To’o.

Williams leads the team with 218 receiving yards and is tied for the most touchdown catches with two, and To’o To’o leads the Crimson Tide in tackles with 22.

Kiffin knows how Saban’s reacts to bad games firsthand

The Ole Miss head coach and former Alabama offensive coordinator vividly remembers losses to the Rebels in 2014 and 2015 while he was in Tuscaloosa, and he knows how Saban used them to refocus his team.

“I feel like the media has done that 100 times – Alabama’s over, the dynasty is over, they lost too many coaches, they lost too many players or they lose a game like the Ole Miss game,” Kiffin said. “I think (Saban) does a phenomenal job after losses, which I’ve only been there for three – and one was the last game of the year. So really I was only there for two losses where we played the next week, and both were to Ole Miss. He just handles them really well, doesn’t start changing things just because of one loss like the media acts like (he should) and rallies the troops. I’ve seen (losses) really help them.”

The Rebels have the weekend off before heading to Tuscaloosa in 10 days for what will most likely be a Top-15 matchup between Saban and his former protege.

Ole Miss is currently the best offensive team in the country, averaging 635.3 yards and 52.7 points per game. Of course, they have yet to face a defense of Alabama’s caliber, and as Kiffin alluded to, Saban will have them ready.