Ole Miss defensive back out against Alabama

As Ole Miss attempts to slow down the offense of the Alabama Crimson Tide, they’ll be without help from one of their defensive backs. According to Lane Kiffin, defensive back Jake Springer will miss today’s game.

The former defensive back for the Navy Midshipmen has been battling injuries all season, and he’ll miss another game today. In his career at Navy, Springer was a stand-out — recognized with 2019 second-team All-ACC honors.

Last season, Jake Springer sat out due to NCAA transfer rules. Now, injuries are clouding his season as he attempts to get acclimated to the SEC.

Today, Ole Miss will need all the help they can get on the defensive side of the football. Alabama’s offense has been tremendous, with Bryce Young picking up right where Mac Jones left off.

Kiffin: ‘Maybe little Ole Miss can pull it off.’

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.