Lane Kiffin: Loss vs Alabama was ‘waste’ of an opportunity, ‘really a shame’
Ole Miss let a win over Alabama slip through their fingers on Saturday. After Ole Miss led by 10, the Tide came back to take a six-point lead with just two minutes left. The Rebels were unable to win it on their ensuing drive and it has Lane Kiffin believing that he and his team wasted a major opportunity for themselves.
Kiffin was as frank as ever during his press conference following the 30-24 loss. Considering the circumstances and the vulnerability that the Tide have shown more than once on the road this year, he said it was a real letdown to not come away with a victory.
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“Really disappointing finish to that game. A two-year home winning streak on the line and playing Alabama with the ball in our hands to win. We didn’t do it,” said Kiffin. “We watched two other teams do it this year in Tennessee and LSU…We didn’t finish. So, really a shame (and) waste of a lot of things.”
Even with the mistakes they made, Kiffin was happy with the way the final moments were playing out. They had the ball in their hands and were taking time away from a potential rebuttal from Bryce Young. However, their drive stalled on Alabama’s 14-yard line with a sequence that featured an incompletion, a run for no gain, a sack, and a final incompletion all from Jaxson Dart.
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At the end of the day, this will be a tough pill to swallow for Kiffin and his team. He went on to say it’s a game he’ll remember because it was there for the taking.
“It is what it is. It’s just a shame,” said Kiffin. “Unfortunately it’s gonna be one of those games you remember your whole life. It was right there with a chance to win.”
This loss cost Ole Miss a shot at the SEC West crown and Kiffin his first win over his former employer. That’s bad enough, but the way it played out only added salt to that already large wound. The Rebels will need to shake it off now as a program, though, with a road trip to Arkansas and the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State still left on their schedule.