Lane Kiffin Always Talks Good Game, But Now It's Time To Shut Up And Put Up Vs. Poppa Nick | Glenn Guilbeau

TUSCALOOSA, Ala -- Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin is 48 years old. But he still has this whole wild adolescent persona going on.

He's also still considered a rising star in the coaching profession - a tag he first got in 2007 when Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis made him the youngest coach in Raider history at 31. But you can't be "rising" for 16 years.

Kiffin has descended, risen, descended and risen throughout his semi-successful, semi-failed career that included deserved firings at Oakland and later at USC. He also delivered Ole Miss its most wins in a regular season ever with a 10-3 mark in 2021 from a 5-5 start in 2020. That followed an inherited team of 4-8. Then he dropped to 8-5 last season. This included a 1-5 finish with four of those losses against non-ranked teams with equal or less talent to his team.

Lane Kiffin is in his fourth season as Ole Miss' coach. Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

At the moment, Kiffin is coasting, continuing to live off (at $9 million a year) brief glimpses of success that haven't lasted. He still has not arrived.

That could happen here Saturday when No. 15 Ole Miss (3-0) plays at No. 13 Alabama (2-1) in the 3:30 p.m. CBS game. Kiffin has never beaten Alabama or coach Nick Saban as a head coach, but he came close twice. As Tennessee's one-year coach in 2009, his unranked Vols lost by just 12-10 to the No. 1 Tide and daddy in Bryant-Denny Stadium. He finished 7-6 and 4-4 in the SEC, which at the time looked great because Tennessee finished 5-7 the year before under Phillip Fulmer. But he left for his supposed dream job at USC, where he was a "rising" assistant.

Lane Kiffin Turned Ole Miss Around Quickly

Just like at Ole Miss, Kiffin did fast work, nearly equaling the record of his predecessor Pete Carroll with an 8-5 season. Then he went 10-2, but - like at Ole Miss - he slipped to 7-6 in 2012. He started acting like a spoiled kid and got fired in 2013 after a 3-2 start.

Funny thing about Kiffin. Everything he continues to criticize Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher about - having all the money and resources for a top program yet continuing to lose at it - Kiffin had in a very similar situation at USC. But he blew it.

Then Saban saved him by hiring him as offensive coordinator, and Kiffin saved himself by becoming a great one. A job at Florida Atlantic followed, then Ole Miss.

Funny, Kiffin went 1-5 to end last season to Fisher's 2-4. Arkansas, which finished 7-6 and 3-5, blew Kiffin away, 42-27. Then Texas Tech rolled the Rebels, 42-25, in the Texas Bowl to finish 8-5. He also lost to rival Mississippi State. Fisher finished stronger with a 38-23 upset of No. 5 LSU.

Yet, Fisher is seen as one of the worst hires for the money in recent college football history, even though he makes about the same as Kiffin now. Fisher has been a bad hire nd the worst hire of now-LSU athletic director Scott Woodward's career. He's definitely falling. Yet, Kiffin's still "rising?"

When Will Lane Kiffin Join Fisher, Sarkisian And Smart?

Texas A&M is 2-1 with a 48-33 loss to unranked Miami going into its game against Auburn (3-0) at noon Saturday on ESPN. Fisher could keep falling. But at least he has a win over dad. He became the first-ever Saban pupil as a head coach to beat Saban - 41-38 in 2021.

Before that, Saban was 24-0 against his pupils in head coach pairings. Now, the pupils are catching him. Since taking that two-dozen to zero lead, Saban is 3-3 against his pupils since 2021. Georgia coach Kirby Smart got him 33-18 in the national championship game of the 2021 season after losing the SEC title game to him. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and Fisher each lost close ones to Saban in 2022, but Sarkisian got him back two weeks ago - 34-24 here.

Suddenly Nick Saban Is Losing To His Students

Saban has only lost five games since 2020, and three have come to his boys.

Familiarity can breed losses. Sarkisian has four coaches on his staff from his time at Alabama under Saban. Those are special teams coordinator Jeff Banks, offensive co-coordinators Kyle Flood and A.J. Milwee and defensive line coach Bo Davis.

Kiffin has three - defensive coordinator Pete Golding, who left just last year, safeties coach Wes Neighbors III and co-offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 02: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide converses with head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels prior to facing each other at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 02, 2021 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Lane, you're next up. But you've already messed up. Kiffin took a dig at Saban early this week. He said Alabama defensive coordinator Kevin Steele stopped calling the plays after the loss to Texas, according to Kiffin's film study.

Lane, you ignorant adolescent. You poked the bear, who has outcoached the Bear.

Fisher, Smart, Sarkisian - they didn't do that. They kissed his ring, or rings I should say, which takes time. There are seven, and could've been 10.

DON'T SAY THESE TWO WORDS TO NICK SABAN

Then when Saban explained that only the system which signals the plays was changed for faster service, Kiffin doubled down.

"I don't really have a reaction to it," Saban said. "I'm concerned about what we do with our team, our coaches, how they work together as a unit to do the best job for our players."

Why Nick Saban Fired Lane Kiffin

The fact that Kiffin wasn't working well within the unit for the players during the playoffs in the 2016 season at Alabama is why Saban fired him a week before he would've already been leaving as he had accepted the FAU job.

"I'm not really concerned about anything else," Saban added.

Except kicking Kiffin's butt again. This Alabama team may not do much this year. But Saban will likely be able to handle this Lane one more time, or maybe two, depending how long Saban, 71, remains in coaching.

Ole Miss is No. 11 in the nation in total offense with 526 yards a game as Kiffin arrived years ago as an offensive coordinator. Alabama is struggling at No. 82 with 367 a game. Alabama's defense is also not much better than Ole Miss' - 45th nationally (307 yards a game) to Ole Miss' No. 11 (350 a game).

But Lane is going to mess up something. He'll go for it on fourth down when he shouldn't to try to be cool, and play into Saban's hands.

It's a huge game for Alabama as it can turn the tide of what looks like a slipping Saban. But how long can one coach stay on top?. Saban has contended for national championships virtually every season since 2008.

And how long can one coach be considered rising? This game is bigger for Kiffin, because he has never risen close to even a 50ish Saban, or even Fisher, who did win a national title at Florida State. And Sarkisian has just taken a lead on Kiffin.

It's not going to matter who is calling Alabama's plays, Lane. You're going to have make the play call of the game.

And time's running out on the rise of Lane Kiffin.