By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
No amount of hot yoga is going to allow Lane Kiffin to release that 4th-And-1 play out of his system anytime soon.
The new, more mature Lane Kiffin might even be considering a return to his old reckless ways … at least on fourth downs.
Now, that he is already likely out of the College Football Playoff with the 35-34 loss at Kentucky on Saturday that dropped him to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the Southeastern Conference, what the hell? Go for broke.
Or at least go for it on 4th-and-1 at your own 43-yard line when you’re nearing 400 yards of offense.
Yes, No. 10 LSU was a yard away from putting a 27-24 win over No. 25 Kentucky on ice Saturday night in Lexington instead of ever venturing into overtime, where it lost 35-34 in front of a sold-out crowd of 61,897 at Kroger Field.
With 1:46 to play, the Tigers faced a 4th-and-1 at its 43-yard line. Make the first down, and you can run the clock out. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt had just completed a 9-yard pass to wide receiver Winnie Watkins Jr. On three of LSU’s four plays before that, running back Dilin Jones and Leavitt had each rushed for seven yards up the middle, and Leavitt had gained two up the middle.
But Kiffin opted to punt. Kentucky took over at its 19-yard line with 1:37 to play, drove 67 yards in nine plays on LSU’s tiring defense. And Adam Zouagui kicked a 33-yard field goal to tie it at 27-27 after just missing a 26-yard field goal. Then Kentucky won it in overtime.
“I’m obviously going to struggle with that 4th and 1,” Kiffin said after the game. “Had a chance to end it there. Thought about going for it on 4th and 1.”
Should’ve gone with your gut, like you used to.
“Talked myself out of it,” he said. “The way their kicker had missed two field goals already.”
Before missing the 26-yard field goal, Zouagui had missed from 42 yards out. Both were against residual strong winds from Hurricane Isaias. So, it’s not like Kiffin didn’t use good reasoning.
“Punt it deep, and play defense,” he said, trying to talk himself into it again.
“It’s into the wind,” he said of the incoming field goal if his defense didn’t hold. “They’ve just missed two field goals that way. Play to our defense and play to the fact that even if all the bad happens in that, you’re still analytically having a 50 percent chance to win in overtime.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah. ONE YARD.
Dilin Jones can’t make that? Sam Leavitt can’t make that.
When Leavitt ran 15 yards up the middle to put LSU ahead 33-27 in the overtime before the extra point for a 34-27 lead, I’m thinking, he just got 15, he could’ve got one.
Kiffin started talking that way toward the end of his press conference after repeating all the sensible arguments he had to punt.
Think about that – Lane Kiffin, riverboat gambler now living and working near the Mississippi River that made riverboat gambling a piece of Americana, punting?
“We’re one yard away from the game being over,” Kiffin said incredulously. “It is what it is. When it doesn’t work, you kick yourself.”
For kicking.
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