If Not Now, When? Time For Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss To Take Advantage Of Alabama's Inconsistent Offense | Trey Wallace

Alabama might have survived a weekend trip to South Florida, but Ole Miss is heading to Tuscaloosa on Saturday looking for blood. If Lane Kiffin has his way, Nick Saban will find himself in an offensive shootout, with Jalen Milroe hoping to answer the call.

We've now gone over two weeks with the Alabama quarterback situation getting most of the attention in the SEC, with Nick Saban having a hard time making a decision. Or is he? Maybe what we saw from Saban was him letting folks know what they actually had in the quarterback room.

It's not like Saban to try and prove a point by playing someone who might have much less success than the other, just to prove the doubters wrong. But here we stand, as Jalen Milroe gets the start against Ole Miss, one week after not stepping on the field at South Florida.

For Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, this is the perfect time to pounce on the situation in Tuscaloosa.

Ole Miss sits in a better position at quarterback with Jaxson Dart. So, if there was a year where Lane Kiffin strolls into Bryant Denny Stadium and takes advantage of a situation, this is the year.

Ole Miss Forcing Alabama To Stay Stride-For-Stride Saturday

As crazy as it might sound, Ole Miss is sitting in the better spot, which is usually not the case in this rivalry. Lane Kiffin finds himself looking at a quarterback room at Alabama that is justifiably wobbly, while the Rebels offense looks to take advantage.

We've seen the previous matchups, where Bryce Young takes over a game, making the opponent pay. But Young isn't walking through that door and Alabama's Tommy Rees is going back to the well with Jalen Milroe. No matter what he did against Texas, this is Milroe's shot at redemption, while Kiffin is salivating at the chance to put up points.

This is where the game leans in the favor of the Rebels, besides whatever the point spread might tell you. Saturday presents an opportunity for consecutive losses at home for Alabama, against two former offensive coordinators for the Tide.

Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels reacts against the LSU Tigers during a game at Tiger Stadium on October 22, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

This might not sit well with some folks in Tuscaloosa, especially Nick Saban. As Tommy Rees continues to find his way as the Alabama OC, Lane Kiffin is coming to town ready to put up points. While this game has the chance to be a signature win for the former Alabama offensive coordinator, Ole Miss has to go with the Texas model hoping to beat Saban's defense down the field.

If we get into a shootout, I trust Kiffin more right now wit Jaxson Dart, than Tommy Rees with Jalen Milroe. The other outlier in this battle is how many times is Nick Saban willing to switch quarterbacks until they get it right?

If Milroe Starts Slow, Will Nick Saban Make Another Move?

The questions surrounding the quarterback situation at Alabama have been the focal point of this team through three weeks. Could Tyler Buchner or Ty Simpson play their way into the starting role while Milroe watches on? This question was seemingly answered when Nick Saban arrived back in Tuscaloosa and seemed to have his mind made up on Jalen Milroe taking back the reigns.

The trial period was over, this was Jalen Milroe's team, until it wasn't. We all know that Kiffin needs to beat his former boss, but the roles have been reversed in year's past. Now, it's the Alabama offense that's under a microscope, with an offensive line that continues to struggle.

So if Jalen Milroe fails to get the offense into a rhythm on Saturday after a few possessions, would Nick Saban make the change, again? This is the scenario that Lane Kiffin is hoping plays out, while the Alabama secondary fails to keep up with the Ole Miss play calling. And, if you're Kiffin, replaying the Texas defensive pressure on Milroe should be the main priority.

This leads us to the question we will only finally find out on Saturday afternoon. Will Saban continue making changes at the quarterback position until he gets it right? The problem is that we don't know if any one of these three QB's on Alabama's roster are good enough to run the SEC gauntlet.

This is why Saturday is so important for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss. They're walking into a rocky situation in Bryant Denny, with a coaching staff that is struggling to find success on offense.

If Ole Miss can take advantage of its possessions and force Alabama into playing from behind, Lane Kiffin is probably riding out of Tuscaloosa with a win.

But as we've seen in the past, just when you think Alabama might be struggling, Nick Saban somehow pulls out a clutch win. This time he's trying to beat his former coordinator, which didn't go down as planned two weeks ago.