"Lane Kiffin kicked Florida's arse"

From AlligatorArmy.

"I looked this up Friday night, because I was curious and reminiscing: Friday was the five-year anniversary of Lane Kiffin's only other meeting with Florida, the exasperating 23-13 win by the Gators over his Tennessee in The Swamp that I remember as the single least satisfying win I've ever experienced. On that day, Kiffin's offense plodded around and did its damnedest not to embarrass itself, leaving the crowd in The Swamp, one that was thirsty for blood after an offseason of impudence from Kiffin, unslaked.

Five years later, the blood was everywhere. And it had everything to do with Kiffin.

Kiffin has a lot of talent to work with at Alabama. I think Amari Cooper's the best wide receiver I've ever seen in the SEC. Alabama's third-string running back — Kenyan Drake — would start at upwards of 100 FBS schools. Blake Sims looked like a Heisman candidate on Saturday, and it wasn't just a matter of Florida's defense being a horror show.

But Kiffin called what was very nearly a perfect game.

Motioning Drake out on the first snap of the game to get him in space against Morrison? Brilliant. Empowering Sims to take deep shots that left Florida helpless to stack the box with safety help? Great. The calls on third downs, 12 of which resulted in first downs? Excellent. Running the ball down Florida's throat, despite Cooper's seeming unguardability, to kill the Gators in the third quarter? Impressively cruel.

This was the worst game, based on total offense conceded, in Florida history, and, believe me, I'll fault Florida's defense for that when we get to that point in this post. But it was also one of the best offensive games in Alabama history from a play-calling standpoint, and only a slew of turnovers that I really can't make Kiffin's fault except in the abstract prevented it from being a 60-point shellacking.

I liked it better, Lane, when I hated you for your perceived incompetence."