No. 5 Alabama beat No. 14 LSU 31-13 on Saturday night, and Lane Kiffin’s first year in Baton Rouge just got a lot heavier, as CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah reported. It’s Kiffin’s sixth straight loss to the Crimson Tide.
LSU actually led 13-10 in the third quarter. Then Alabama ripped off 21 straight points. The Tigers piled up 457 yards but turned it over on downs three times, and the second quarter was a mess: a missed field goal, a failed fourth down in the red zone and an interception on three straight drives, per ClutchPoints.
Kiffin defended going for it, saying there was a point when “field goals weren’t going to win the game.”
The IAHHM Take
Here’s the problem. LSU gave Kiffin a seven-year, $91 million deal and one of the most expensive rosters in the sport. At 6-3 and 0-3 against ranked teams, the playoff dream is basically gone, with No. 7 Texas and No. 13 Tennessee still on the schedule.
Meanwhile, the program he left is doing just fine. Ole Miss reached the national semifinals last year under Pete Golding. And on the recruiting trail, Baton Rouge quarterback Elijah Haven chose Alabama, which stings in a state that expects its best talent to stay home.
LSU fans don’t do patience. Kiffin is entertaining, and he can call a game, but the Tigers didn’t pay $91 million for entertainment. They paid to beat Alabama.
Is Kiffin the right guy for LSU, or was the hype bigger than the fit? Let us hear it.
Source: CBS Sports
