Lane Kiffin reveals secret to his coaching success, how it helped Alabama beat LSU in OT in 2014
By Jake Rill
Published:
Lane Kiffin has had plenty of success in his college coaching career, whether it’s been as a head coach or an assistant. And there are a lot of reasons for that.
But there’s one secret weapon that has been a key to Kiffin’s success that he hadn’t shared until recently — his whistle.
College football stadiums can get loud, so it can be difficult for those on the sidelines to communicate with the players on the field. That’s not an issue for Kiffin. The Ole Miss head coach can get somebody’s attention in even the most hostile, raucous environments.
For example, Kiffin used his whistle while serving as Alabama’s offensive coordinator for its 20-13 overtime win at LSU on Nov. 8, 2014. Kiffin shared the story of how he may have changed the outcome of that game during a recent appearance on SEC Network’s “Marty & McGee: Talkin’ Season.”
“You can’t hear anything and we are in overtime and I’m trying to get Blake Sims’ attention to audible to change the play,” Kiffin said on the show. “I’m a long ways away, that ball’s down like on the 5-yard line, and he hears the whistle and you can see him turn around from the whistle, he hears it, gets the audible and we go and score. Alabama beats LSU.”
The secret to @Lane_Kiffin's success ?@MartySmithESPN & @ESPNMcGee Talkin' Season pic.twitter.com/n1TDdt8JmL
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) August 23, 2021
That audible resulted in Sims throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to DeAndrew White, setting up the Crimson Tide’s victory.
With more fans set to be in the stands this year than there were during the pandemic-impacted 2020 season, Kiffin may need that whistle to get some Rebels players’ attentions. And as he’s proven in the past, that won’t be an issue.
Kiffin’s first opportunity to whistle in a 2021 game will come Sept. 6, when Ole Miss opens the season with a matchup against Louisville at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
