Lane Kiffin explains why LSU punted on 4th-and-1 instead of going for 1st down
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The normally aggressive Lane Kiffin played things conservatively Saturday night, and it may have cost him.
With LSU leading Kentucky 27-24 with 1:46 left in the game but facing a 4th-and-1 from its own 43-yard line, Kiffin opted to punt the ball away instead of trying to ice the contest by converting.
The Wildcats went on to kick a game-tying field goal and prevail 35-34 in overtime thanks to a successful two-point conversion, dropping the Tigers to 4-2 on the season.
Asked about his decision in the late-game scenario, Kiffin said prior events led him to punt the ball away.
“The way their kicker had missed 2 field goals,” Kiffin said. “Worst scenario – we go to OT, and that’s what happened.”
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Unfortunately, for Kiffin & Co., that worst-case scenario turned into a one-point defeat, giving the Tigers zero margin for error throughout the rest of the season.
To Kiffin’s point, Kentucky’s Adam Zouagui had already missed a pair of field goals in the contest, with his final kick of 33 yards being his longest of the night.
Kiffin’s choice to give Kenny Minchey and the Wildcats another chance will be scrutinized in Baton Rouge for some time, but in the immediate future, LSU has to figure out how to avoid suffering a fatal third defeat.
Parker is currently the sports editor for Gulf Coast Media in Foley, Alabama. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
