Alabama Football: Is Lane Kiffin to Blame for 2014 Losses?
Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
“If they just would have run the ball more. . . “
“If Kiffin would stop calling his shots (definitely worth the click) and just run the *foul language* ball . . .”
“If Kiffin didn’t have such an obsession for throwing the ball, Bama would have won another national championship. . . ”
While not direct quotes, SEC fans have heard similar sentiments to those listed above from Alabama fans unhappy with their two losses on the season. Here we will look to see if these statements have any validity to them.
First up we have the loss to Ole Miss. While there is not a specific sequence of plays that Alabama fans point to that
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
cost them the game, there is an overall trend. Leading 14-3 at half with the offense of Ole Miss being unable to produce, some fans complain that Kiffin did not slow it down. Alabama fans are used to building a lead, rushing the ball, and playing dominant defense to seal games. Kiffin was not comfortable with the 14-3 lead (rightfully so) and continued to press the issue and attack. Whether the game would have turned out differently is up for debate, but some fans will insist Alabama should have won the game.
Next we have the loss to Ohio State. While the play calls could be described as head scratching in the loss to Ole Miss, no analyst, football fan, coach, commentator, or human being will ever be able to successfully defend the following statement. After carrying the ball 7 times for 56 yards in the first quarter (8 YPC), Derrick Henry did not get his next carry until late in the 3rd quarter. 5:20 left in the 3rd quarter according to SI.com to be exact. And that carry went for 21 yards. On Alabama’s very next drive, Henry took a short pass 52 yards. Not taking advantage of Ohio State’s inability to contain Henry in this game is a blatant blunder by Kiffin.
Each of these losses appears like it could have been avoided with slight changes to Kiffin’s play calling, giving a sense of validity to fans who blame Kiffin for Alabama’s two losses.
Next: To Kiffin, or not to Kiffin . . .
