Lane Kiffin uses light humor after Trinidad Chambliss struggles in first half
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Lane Kiffin never misses a chance to inject humor into a situation, even if the situation is serious, like on Saturday when his No. 4 Ole Miss team was trying to stay unbeaten and in line for special things this season.
On Saturday, the first half was not special for the Rebels against Washington State. It was very much not special, and Kiffin’s budding star quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, didn’t play his best football. Chambliss did manage a late first-half touchdown pass that gave Ole Miss a 10-7 halftime lead. But otherwise, it was a forgettable first 30 minutes for Chambliss and the entire team, which was coming off a bye and playing a nonconference opponent.
There were all the ingredients for a slow start, and Kiffin’s team fell into that trap on Saturday. So, going into the halftime locker room, rather than criticize Chambliss and his team with seriousness, Kiffin did as only he can, going the comedic route.
And Kiffin gently pointed to Chambliss’s past before he transferred to Ole Miss, when he spent 3 seasons at Division II Ferris State. Kiffin was asked what he said to Chambliss after putting his arm around him following that touchdown drive to close the first half.
“Let’s get back to playing like he did in that series,” said Lane Kiffin about what he told Chambliss in that moment. “Let’s not go back to that Division II stuff.”
It was simply Kiffin being Kiffin:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
