Lane Kiffin questions why Oregon's 12-man penalty draws praise, fake injuries draw hate

The Oregon Ducks took a 12-man penalty in the closing moments of their win over Ohio State that helped them to manipulate the clock. It was a move that head coach Dan Lanning later shared he did intentionally and received praise for.

In response to that, during the weekly SEC teleconference, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin shared his thoughts on the final play of that Oregon game. In particular, he questioned why Oregon’s decision was praised while fake injuries tend to draw hate.

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“Heard Lanning talk about how much they practice situations,” Lane Kiffin said. “So, he capitalized on the situation.”

Lane Kiffin was then asked a follow-up question about whether or not that’s something that he had Ole Miss practice. That’s when he compared the reaction to Lanning’s decision to put 12 men on the field to faking injuries strategically. In particular, he noted the different public reactions.

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“We have a scenario where that pops up,” Kiffin said. “It’s interesting, though, I find that all this national talk about someone faking an injury, and people shouldn’t do that. I’m not saying I don’t agree with. But I just found it interesting that everybody thinks this is awesome that you went against the rules and put more people on the field but then everybody’s [upset] when faking an injury. So just found it interesting.”

There has been national criticism of faking injuries from figures like College GameDay host Rece Davis. However, the Ole Miss program, in particular, has been called out for its use of strategically faking injuries. The ABC broadcast of the Kentucky game, in particular, called out a fake injury by Ole Miss. The mounting criticism even led Ole Miss to put out a statement on the issue.

“Feigned injuries has become a notable topic in college football, and we realize our program has been part of that discussion. We have been in communication with the National Coordinator for Football Officiating and provided relevant medical information for his review to answer questions about recent injuries,” the statement read.

“We have also updated the SEC office, and our head coach will communicate with our coaches and players to ensure we conduct ourselves properly and are compliant in this matter.”

In response to the situation at the end of the Ohio State-Oregon game, there have been calls to change the rules. It has also been reported that the NCAA is looking into fixing the loophole that Lanning and Oregon took advantage of at the end of the game. Until that changes, coaches like Lanning and Kiffin can take advantage of the loophole.