"You can never say that again": Paul Finebaum drops eye-catching remark after Lane Kiffin "slew the biggest dragon" in College Football
Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss had a big win on the weekend and Paul Finebaum is taking note of that. The Rebels have stumbled a couple of times during this season, with losses to Kentucky and LSU, which put into question their pedigree for the college football playoff (CFP).
However, in Week 11, they won arguably the toughest game on their regular season calendar, in a confident 28-10 victory over No. 3 Georgia.
With that, Ole Miss came back into the top 10 of the AP Poll and now they have a genuine shot at the CFP. This partially dismantles the notion that Lane Kiffin is a coach who's unable to win the big games. At least, ESPN's Paul Finebaum thinks so, with him stating on Monday that:
"The narrative that Lane Kiffin can't just win the big game just gets stuck to him," Finebaum said. ... You can never say that again. That was the biggest win of Lane Kiffin's career ... At the heart of the matter, he's an elite football coach ... You can never say he can't win the big one, I mean he slew the biggest dragon in college football."
The veteran SEC analyst also highlighted that the victory wasn't a stroke of luck for the Rebels and Lane Kiffin. He described the game at Oxford, Mississippi, as a "pummeling," and emphasized how, in the end, Ole Miss didn't even seem that hard-pressed to score more points.
Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss Rebels beat Georgia 28-10 on the back of an impressive performance by the defense
What's even more impressive is that the difference maker for the Rebels wasn't its highly rated offense, but their defense. Kiffin has long been praised for building impressive offensive units, going back to his spells at Alabama and USC. Nonetheless, it was the defense that earned Ole Miss the victory.
The Rebels offense recorded five sacks, nine tackles for a loss, and an interception. They also forced two fumbles. The reality is, Carson Beck and company couldn't start going for the Bulldogs this weekend. Beck had only 186 yards, with no touchdowns, during the encounter.
Georgia's running game wasn't much better, with only 59 rushing yards and one touchdown.