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Lane Kiffin evaluates Georgia without Brock Bowers, reflects on similar winning streaks at USC and Alabama
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
Lane Kiffin and No. 10 Ole Miss will clash with host No. 2 Georgia this weekend. This will be a matchup between the leader of the SEC East and the No. 2 team in the SEC West.
Georgia has kept rolling despite the absence of star tight end Brock Bowers due to an ankle injury. Kiffin praises the depth of Georgia for being able to compensate for the massive loss.
“They’ve got a lot of great players. The quarterback plays really well and really smart. He’s got a great arm. They added the 2 receivers in the portal to strengthen their position out there after after losing 1 to Texas,” Kiffin said. “These guys are as great as advertised. It seems like when they’ve really got to rise up, they do.”
Kiffin cites some recent examples of Georgia’s brilliance.
“Whether that’s to come back in a game like at Auburn or whether that’s like the Kentucky game when there was I imagine there was buildup of 2 teams coming in highly ranked. They obviously came in and took care of business in that game and rose to the occasion,” Kiffin said. “This isn’t their first rodeo of playing in big games.”
Meanwhile, Kiffin is no stranger to what it takes to maintain a long winning streak such as Georgia’s current 1. He said it starts at the top with leadership.
“I think those 2 examples there of being fortunate to be at USC when we won 34 straight I think before we couldn’t tackle Vince Young. When I left Alabama I think we were at 26 straight or something,” Kiffin said. “The only way that happens is with a phenomenal head coach like Pete Carroll and Nick Saban and now Kirby Smart.”
Kiffin believes Georgia’s run of dominance is a testament to the culture instilled by Smart, whom he previously worked with at Alabama under Nick Saban.
“To be able to hold that together. To be able to manage when you’re going to have down games and things aren’t going to go well. It’s football,” Kiffin said. “To overcome those poor games to me is what being a super elite program and super elite head coach is about.”
Ole Miss at Georgia is set for 7 p.m. (ESPN).
