How Has Lane Kiffin Fared in Previous Coaching Debuts?
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is about to make his Ole Miss head coaching debut on Saturday, as the Rebels host No. 5 Florida at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
It will be the first time for Kiffin takes the sidelines as a head coach at the power five level since the day leading up to the infamous tarmac firing at USC in 2013.
When talking to media on Monday, Kiffin downplayed the personal emotion and importance attached to such a debut, but for a guy who's spent the last six years rehabilitating his image as an assistant at Alabama and then the head man at FAU, it's hard to imagine Saturday won't be a big step for the new Rebel coach.
"I don't think I'm a real emotional guy on things. I don't think it will be any real different for me," Kiffin said. "But I do think that, very happy for a lot of people who put a lot of effort for this to happen. Starting with the commissioner, then the athletic directors, presidents, chancellors, just to get it ok'd, and then all the people, medical people and everything around here helping. A lot of people have done a lot of stuff to get to this point, so very grateful for that."
Kiffin will take the Rebel sideline for the first time on Saturday, but how has Kiffin done in debuts in prior years? Obviously, this season is bizarre, without a standard non-conference slate, Kiffin is diving head first into SEC action.
So in fairness, let's take a look at both his coaching debuts and conference debuts (for the college years) at prior stops:
2007 – Oakland Raiders lose 36-21 to the Detroit Lions
Team would go 4-12 on the season
For those who forget, Kiffin's first stop as a head coach was actually in the NFL, where he coached the Raiders from 2007 to 2008. Unfortunately, he was paired with one of the biggest quarterback busts in history those years, as the Raiders drafted JaMarcus Russell 1.01 in the 2007 draft.
Oakland did put up 375 yards of total offense in that season opener, but turned the ball over three times.
2009 – Tennessee Volunteers beat Western Kentucky 63-7 in season opener, fall to No. 1 Florida 23-13 in SEC opener
Team would go 7-6 on the season
Kiffin's first game as an FBS head coach went incredibly well, as the Volunteers put up 657 yards of total offense against Western Kentucky in a blowout win. They did, however, turn the ball over three times. You can't fault them too much for losing by 10 in their SEC opener at the Swamp to Tim Tebow and the 2009 champs. However, Kiffin's offense only put up 210 yards in that game and turned it over twice.
2010 – Southern California beats Hawaii 49-36 in season debut, wins at Washington State 50-16 in Pac-10 opener
Team would go 8-5 on the season
This was a great season of debuts for Kiffin, making his way back to USC for the first time since he was Pete Carrol's offensive coordinator in 2006. Against Hawaii, the Matt Barkley led trojans went for 524 yards of offense while only turning it over once. Traveling to Washington State, the Trojans put up a blistering 613 yards of offense, but again struggled with turnovers, giving the ball up three times.
2017 – Florida Atlantic loses 42-19 to Navy, wins CUSA opener 38-20 over Middle Tennessee State
Team would go 11-3 on the season
Despite losing what looks on paper like a pretty ugly game against Navy, Kiffin's offense didn't perform all that bad. The Owls put up 326 yards of offense, again turning it over twice. But the problem here playing Navy was the FAU defense gave up 416 rushing yards.
When they took the field for the first time against Conference USA foes, the Kiffin offense went for 439 yards and had his only debut game without a turnover. FAU would go an undefeated 8-0 in conference play that season.
As a whole, it's hard to look at these debuts and not notice the consistent string of turnovers associated. Kiffin's offenses have moved the ball well, but there's always been a few mental mistakes associated, even when he had well-solidified quarterbacks such as Matt Barkley running the show.
While it will only be Kiffin's second debut this decade, it's a trend he'd like to see Ole Miss buck come Saturday.
More From The Grove Report:
By the Numbers: Ole Miss vs. Florida
Everything Dan Mullen Said About His Return to Oxford for First Time Since 2016
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