Lane Kiffin may have had every reason to enjoy LSU’s 31-0 win over Mississippi State on Saturday, but the Kentucky loss kept creeping back into the conversation anyway.
After the shutout, Kiffin spent part of his postgame press conference revisiting last week’s one-point overtime defeat to Kentucky, and he did it in classic Lane Kiffin fashion: by working through a string of grievances about how the game got away.
He started with injuries, pointing to the missed tackle on Brock Coffman’s punt return for a touchdown and suggesting the starter would have made the play. From there, he turned to the officials.
“I said I wasn’t going to talk about [the Kentucky game], but you got a false start that the two-point play doesn’t even happen and just doesn’t count, and you get an apology for it. Thanks.”
Kiffin also said he leaned on that Kentucky game as motivation throughout the week. “I really talked (to my team) about how we screwed that freaking game up so many times and just handed it away, and showed them again and again and again how we should have won the game.
But I’m human, too. I ended last night’s speech (to the team) saying we have to win tomorrow.
There is no other option. We have to win.”
Even after a dominant win over a ranked opponent, the sting of that overtime loss in Lexington clearly hadn’t faded. Will Stein set up camp inside Kiffin’s head during the game, and the feeling is still there a week later.
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Ran Into One Big Obstacle With Seneca Driver
Kentuckys road win over Oklahoma gave the Wildcats a little extra juice on the field, but it also came with a reminder that some recruiting battles are going to be harder to flip than others. Seneca Driver, a 5-star tight end prospect already pledged to the Sooners, made it clear he remains firm in that commitment, keeping Kentucky in the chase but not changing the shape of the race.
Drivers loyalty appears tied closely to Oklahoma tight ends coach Jason Witten, and he said his commitment is likely to hold as long as Witten is still on staff. Kentucky will keep working, because that is what elite programs do with a talent like Driver, but the Wildcats are trying to climb a steep hill here with a recruit who has already drawn a line around where he stands. [Read more 🡒]
Ty Bryant Had A Bigger Reason Behind His Huge Night At Oklahoma
Ty Bryants performance against Oklahoma stood out on the field, with the veteran Kentucky safety piling up two interceptions and nine tackles in a game that gave the Wildcats a much-needed spark. But the night carried a meaning beyond the box score, because Bryant also chose to use the moment to honor the memory of Neven Coofer, the 6-year-old child who recently passed away.
Bryant wore eye black reading Neven Forever 6 and stayed in touch with Nevens family before and after the game as a way of showing his support. For Kentucky, it was a reminder that some of the most powerful moments in football come from the reasons players carry onto the field with them, even when the game itself provides plenty of its own drama. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Suddenly Has A CJ Baxter Question It Can't Ignore
Kentuckys win over Oklahoma came with a little extra uncertainty attached, and it had everything to do with the backfield. Jason Patterson handled the load after CJ Baxter was held out because of an injury, giving the Wildcats a steady presence in a 21-13 victory that was sealed by two late John Mateer interceptions in Norman.
Will Stein said Baxter did warm up before the game, but the decision was made to rest him rather than risk making the injury worse. Kentucky now turns to Vanderbilt with the encouraging part being that Baxter is expected back, even if the Wildcats offense showed there is still a contingency plan if he needs it again. [Read more 🡒]