Lane Kiffin came away from LSU’s 38-17 win over Auburn with a complaint aimed squarely at the Tigers’ defense.
During his weekly teleconference, Kiffin accused Auburn defenders of using hip-drop tackles on tight end Trey’Dez Green and said that was part of why Green was removed from the game. The tackle technique is not banned in college football, though it has become a point of attention after the NFL moved to eliminate it.
“He played well. He’s not 100 percent as you could see,” Kiffin said during his weekly teleconference (h/t Tiger Rag).
“He’s still kind of limping, and pushing through. Fortunately, he didn’t get hurt worse when they were trying to hip-drop tackle him.
“So, that was unfortunate, and he was really concerned about that. And so we actually took him out.”
Green had missed time after a knee sprain against Ole Miss in Week 3, then returned at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday and produced five catches for 50 yards, including a touchdown, during the Sam Leavitt masterclass.
Kiffin also acknowledged a decision that put his own defenders back on the field late in the fourth quarter after they asked to return. He said the group was frustrated with the backups allowing Auburn to move the ball and wanted another shot at a second-half shutout.
“There were a couple right behind me that were getting pissed at our backups letting them go down the field,” Kiffin said. “So they asked me.
They really wanted to have a second half shutout, and so I let them go back in, knowing that we had a bye next week. Maybe I shouldn’t have.
But I like the mentality of the guys. That’s how we try to build a highly competitive program that has guys who want to think that way.
They want get back in there. They want to play.
They want to preserve good defensive days like that.”
The broader concern from the Auburn side is tougher to ignore: when the offense is driving and opposing players are getting heated, the Tigers are giving opponents reasons to take notice. That’s an issue Alex Golesh and Joel Gordon have to sort out quickly, especially with a trip to Oxford, Mississippi, coming this weekend.
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