If ESPN Host Shows Up To Ole Miss Game, Put All Cash on Hogs

Feud with Finebaum distraction Arkansas needs to get leg up on Rebels, Kiffin

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jul 21, 2023 11:42 AM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It doesn't make a lot of sense why it happened. All that matters from the perspective of the Razorback football team is that it did.

During Lane Kiffin's appearance at the podium for SEC media days, the Ole Miss coach made a rather innocent jab at ESPN host Paul Finebaum about getting Alabama coach Lane Kiffin feeling disrespected and suddenly more focused by pointing out the Tide haven't won the national title in a full three years despite being in the championship game two of the past three seasons.

“It's why we have Finebaum to motivate him every other year and say 'Oh his dynasty is over,' and this is the end of Saban," Kiffin said. "And then we're like, 'Hey thanks a lot for pissing him off.' Paul's always wrong on this subject. He did it again the other day. If he doesn't make the playoffs, he's not any good as a coach, so thanks Paul.”

Something must be going on behind the scenes because there's a whole lot of nothing happening with that comment. It was simply a fun, sarcastic comment that addressed the absurdity of the way people seem to be writing off Alabama as a crumbling dynasty just because the Tide didn't make the playoffs for once, losing an unforgivable two games in the toughest conference in all of college football. Arkansas coach Sam Pittman probably thought the same thing, and if he had said those exact same words at the podium, his good ole boy demeanor would have gotten a laugh and that would have been it.

That's why it was surprising, despite the source of the comment, to hear what Finebaum had to say afterward as he unloaded on Kiffin. The SEC Network needs coaches like Kiffin to poke a little fun at the world and not duck questions to bring a bit of life into an otherwise dreadfully painful event. It was disappointing to see the baddest men in the coaching world cower from the media all week, looking for reasons to not answer questions while protecting their painfully thin skins. Yet, here was Finebaum, one of the network's pillars, going after Kiffin, one of maybe three SEC coaches at most who made an effort to be interesting and fearless, in the most personal of ways with a gross over reaction

Clearly perturbed at Kiffin's playful observation, Finebaum went nuclear later in the day. If the comments weren't so deeply personal, it would almost feel like it was a work because of how little sense it makes to get that flustered over something so small.

"He took a shot at me in one of the radio rooms about writing Nick Saban off," Finebaum said. "I mean, come on Lane. Lane just has to find a target, so when you get him here in a few minutes, please give him my warmest greetings."

The SEC Network host also went onto "First Take" and turned those warm greetings into a full blown solar flare. Clearly irritated as Kiffin's words bubbled deep under his skin, Finebaum determined that no matter the question posed, he was going to produce a verbal explosion directed at Kiffin.

"He may be right [about NIL being a disaster in its current form], but talk about hypocritical people," Finebaum said. "Does anyone remember who was negotiating with Auburn last year toward the end of last season while his team, once ranked in the Top 10, imploded and lost five straight games, including the Egg Bowl, the biggest game of the year. That was Lane Kiffin. Lane Kiffin leveraged that dalliance with Auburn for about an $11 million deal. So, he may be right about the state of college football, but when it comes to hypocrisy, Lane Kiffin just retired the trophy."

Having plunged the knife, Finebaum then went for the twist, hoping to leave Kiffin a proverbial carcass, all of his past transgressions bleeding out onto the pavement as a reminder of who the Ole Miss coach's actions say he really is for all to see. Please avert the eyes of any children in the room because this gets brutal.

"What was a disaster was the way he coached in big games last year," Finebaum said. "He blew the Alabama game. He blew countless games. As you were talking, I forgot, I mentioned his dalliance with Auburn, does anyone remember back in 2009, Lane Kiffin was the coach at Tennessee? He literally left that program in the middle of the night to go to Southern Cal. He left it in shambles and they still haven't forgiven him there.

"There are two different issues here. Lane Kiffin can sometimes be a carny barker. He knows the NIL issue has not really been talked about today, so he came here with a megaphone like he's trying to save college football. Everybody in college football was in Washington a month ago trying to save college football. Did anything happen? No. Is anything going to happen? No. And that's just the reality. It'd be one thing if he was going to refuse to bring players in, but he went and got Oklahoma State's quarterback. He got the quarterback from LSU. I have had coaches tell me Ole Miss is very active in the NIL space, and good for them. But Lane, try to win a football game before you mouth off at media day next time, OK."

Kiffin tried to take the high road afterward. Much like those who saw the initial comments made at the podium as innocuous playful banter at best, he seemed caught a little off guard by how harshly Finebaum responded publicly.

"I'm a Finebaum guy, so I don't know why he's coming back," Kiffin said. "I was just stating the facts on what he does with Saban. It doesn't help us doesn't help us. He just pisses Saban off because he says his dynasty is over every year, and then, coach, when he loses all these players to the NFL, that it's over, and then coach goes and proves him wrong. I don't know, they just told me he's over there talking about me losing five in a row. We only lost four in a row, but I mean, ya know. Come on Paul. Get your facts right before you take shots."

This feud lays the groundwork for the distraction Arkansas coach Sam Pittman and his staff needs to gain an advantage over Ole Miss the first weekend in October. The game takes place a little too early for Kiffin to be mentally lured away by another opportunity to bail on the city of Oxford for a program with more potential upside. That's how the Razorbacks were able to pull off such a decisive victory in last year's 42-27 blowout of the Rebels. Kiffin was too busy negotiating his way to Auburn to put together a game plan that would properly take advantage of one of the worst defenses in America.

Instead, the game follows a trip to Tuscaloosa and a home game against LSU, so the Rebels will be coming off two difficult games that will require a lot of time on Kiffin's behalf. That's why a distraction like Finebaum is the perfect bait. If the ESPN host rolls into Oxford trading shots with the hometown coach after two tough games, it will be too hard for a tired, frustrated Kiffin to not get sucked in, especially on social media.

Time spent worrying about Finebaum is time not spent unpacking this new Razorback defense and offensive scheme. That's the one thing Arkansas has in its favor this season. There will be very little video of this team laying it all out against SEC opponents, so preparation will be more involved than usual. Each second is precious.

A second distraction means a second win for the Razorbacks. So, as petty as the response appears on Finebaum's part, it's in the best interest of Arkansas fans to do all they can to get SEC Network on the Ole Miss campus for that Saturday's game while baiting him into comments about Kiffin all week long on his show.

Fans are notorious for exclaiming "We won!" after their team comes out on top in a big game despite never playing a down. However, in this case, Razorback fans truly can impact the game. And if they do, for perhaps the first time ever, it will be appropriate for them to exclaim exactly that.