Lane Kiffin channels Dabo Swinney to explain what it'll take to beat Alabama

Lane Kiffin is pulling out all the stops to upset the Alabama Crimson Tide. In an interview with ESPN’s Laura Rutledge on College GameDay, Kiffin took some inspiration from Clemson‘s Dabo Swinney when asked what it would mean for Ole Miss to beat Alabama.

“That’d take a lot of work. We’d have to play awesome, we’d have to get some breaks, like anytime you play a No. 1 team on the road,” stated Kiffin. “Maybe little Ole Miss can pull it off.”

Afterwards, Rutledge wanted Kiffin to elaborate, asking “Did you just say ‘little Ole Miss’?”

“I did,” answered Kiffin. “You copy people when it’s worked, and Dabo did it and they won. Maybe it’ll work (this time).”

When Clemson was consistently battling Alabama for national championships, Swinney coined the term ‘Lil Ole Clemson’ to describe their underdog mentality. While Kiffin may not have been able to resist the opportunity to borrow the phrase, the underdog mentality is one that Ole Miss is bringing into today’s game.

Kiffin on Tuscaloosa: ‘You get humbled really quick here’

As Ole Miss enters Tuscaloosa with an upset on their mind, Kiffin knows how difficult a task it’ll be. As the offensive coordinator at Alabama, the Rebels head coach watched teams leave Bryant-Denny Stadium with nothing but broken dreams.

“Well I said the same thing I said all week — if you don’t practice really well, you don’t play really well and we don’t coach really well, I’ve seen this movie before — you get humbled really quick here,” said Kiffin. “This crowd, this number one team, I’ve been on the other side. Preseason hype, teams come in ranked high and energy for a game and don’t play really well. I’ve seen that story, so we got a lot of work. “

Today, Kiffin attempts to write a new chapter in the story of team’s trying to upset Alabama at home. If his team can do it, it’ll for sure be history making.

Challenges for Matt Corral

Perhaps no head coach-quarterback duo is more entertaining than Kiffin and Matt Corral. Now the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, Corral faces a whole different set of challenges today against Alabama.

Before he takes the field, Kiffin detailed what lays ahead of Corral.

“Well I think Matt’s done some good things so far this year. Obviously, this is a completely different level of defense,” said Kiffin. “Schematical, and the best players in college football we have to play. Now, he’s gotta go on the road, the first time in a full stadium in two years. So we’ll have our hands full.”

There’s no introduction back into raucous road crowds like playing the top-ranked team in the country at home. Still, if any quarterback can handle it, it’s Matt Corral.

Lane Kiffin will have his team prepared — today, they have a chance to change the college football landscape.