Lane Kiffin takes blame for losing Alabama game, will miss annual game

At least from the outside, Saturday seemed to be Lane Kiffin‘s best chance of beating Nick Saban. The quarterback situation brought plenty of questions to Alabama, while Ole Miss was buzzing after a 3-0 start to the season. A promising opening 30 minutes turned into a disappointing second half, with the Rebels heading back home to Oxford with the loss.

Kiffin took to Twitter following the game, saying he should be the one to blame. He does not want any of the players taking heat for dropping the SEC opener. Alabama was given some credit as well for their effort, especially on the defensive side.

“Sorry to let you guys down,” Kiffin said. “We blew that one!! Came to win and didn’t get it done. Put it on me not our players ⁦@OleMissFB⁩ also give credit ⁦@AlabamaFTBL⁩ played really hard exp of defense. I will miss this match up.”

Sorry to let you guys down. We blew that one!! Came to win and didn’t get it done. Put it on me not our players ⁦@OleMissFB⁩ also give credit ⁦@AlabamaFTBL⁩ played really hard exp of defense. I will miss this match up 👎 pic.twitter.com/mniRyctstP

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) September 23, 2023

Kiffin mentioned how he will miss the Alabama-Ole Miss matchup, with it going away at least for the 2024 season. With conference realignment taking place, the SEC will not have the two schools line up against one another next year. Maybe once the permanent scheduling model is determined, the Crimson Tide and Rebels will be permanent rivals.

Ole Miss will get to play Alabama again, it just might take a couple of years. Saban has claimed multiple times that he is not retiring anytime soon. Kiffin should get another chance to beat his former head coach, something you know he desperately wants to do.

Lane Kiffin always enjoyed facing off against Alabama, Nick Saban

If there was one game Kiffin liked to see on the schedule more than any, it was Alabama. Especially when traveling to Tuscaloosa, he got to go back to the place he called home for multiple years. Earning a win against the Crimson Tide would likely mean a ton to Kiffin.

The respect between Saban and Kiffin has been well-documented for many years. While the relationship may have ended poorly before the national championship game back in the 2016 season, there are no hard feelings, apparently. Both head coaches have stated how much they admire one another.

But Kiffin is still a competitor. He wants to beat every opponent he faces, no matter who they are. Saturday, he came up just a bit short and was willing to take all of the blame for it.