Lane Kiffin gives credit to Mark Stoops for ‘out-of-character’ 4th down call
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Lane Kiffin was impressed with a decision by Kentucky coach Mark Stoops late in the game on Saturday afternoon in Oxford.
With Kentuck trailing and facing a 4th and long from its own 20 yard-line with over 4 minutes remaining, it seemed like the Wildcats would punt it away and try to get a quick defensive stop. That would have been the practical move for a notoriously-conservative coach like Stoops.
But instead, he decided to go for it.
Brock Vandagriff found Barion Brown for a 63-yard gain down the left sideline, and the rest is history. Kentucky took the lead a few plays later and then ended up winning after Ole Miss failed to respond with a score of its own.
Here’s video of the play:
.@BrockVandagriff ➡️ @BarionBrown 💣 ON FOURTH DOWN pic.twitter.com/FzdqqNKRuL
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 28, 2024
It seemed to be the polar-opposite decision of one Stoops made a couple weeks ago in Kentucky’s loss to Georgia. In that spot, Stoops decided to punt the ball on 4th down despite being near midfield with just a few minutes on the clock.
After the game, Kiffin pointed to that 4th down decision by Stoops.
“I told him after the game, ‘great job, man,'” Kiffin said. “I certainly think it’s a reaction to all the criticism he got in the Georgia game when he punted it. So, he went out-of-character and threw a go-ball. Guy made a great throw, great catch and you know, so I commend them.”
This was Kentucky’s first win over Ole Miss in Oxford since 1978.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
