Photo by Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Texas A&M Football
Chief's Calling: John Chavis, Lane Kiffin & Aggies-Tide
A dork reporter asked if Texas A&M Defensive Coordinator John Chavis derived any additional motivation from facing Alabama Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin on Saturday.
Chavis’ mouth answered: “No. Not at all.”
His face seemed to answer: “What do you think, jackass?”
Wouldn’t you garner extra motivation from facing the guy that fired you?
In November of 2008, Kiffin was named to replace ousted Phillip Fulmer as Tennessee’s head coach. Kiffin promptly fired Chavis and hired Monte Kiffin, his father, as defensive coordinator.
A year later Kiffin left Tennessee in a lurch and bolted to USC, where he failed, was fired and landed as Alabama offensive coordinator last year.
Meanwhile, the Chief went to LSU, helped the Tigers win an SEC championship, helped them reach the 2011 national championship game and generally fielded a kick-ass defense in Baton Rouge.
Advantage Chavis.
Still, who wouldn’t relish the opportunity to get some payback on a guy that fired you from a job in which you excelled to replace you with his dad?
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Chavis, who has Tennessee in his blood, already had reason not to like Alabama before his many slugfests against Nick Saban's program.
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Chavis is much too classy to hold a grudge. Or, at least he’s too classy to publicly admit he holds one.
Chavis easily could have answered that question with coach speak. He could have offered admiration for Kiffin’s offense. He could have pointed out that getting fired is just an occupational hazard. He could have said he’d have done the same thing if in Lane Kiffin’s shoes.
He did not.
In truth, Chavis doesn’t need Kiffin to bring any extra venom into Saturday’s football feud at Kyle Field. Having Alabama on the opposite sideline is more than enough motivation.
Of course, Chavis played at Tennessee. He coached at Tennessee. Tennessee feels about Alabama much the same way Aggies feel about Texas.
Plus, winning a Southeastern Conference championship practically requires beating Alabama.
Chavis even admitted he gets a little more psyched up to face the Crimson Tide.
“I think, yeah, I hate to admit it, but probably so,” Chavis said on Tuesday. “You look at their stature. This is a big game for Texas A&M. My focus is on Texas A&M and this game being about us, but certainly, you've got a chance to go and compete against one of the best teams in the league and if that doesn't get you excited as a coach or player, you've got something missing. Players get (excited) for a game like this and coaches do too.”
A&M players can attest to that.
“I can’t really repeat what Coach Chavis says in meetings, but I can assure you Coach Chavis is fired up for this game,” senior defensive tackle Julien Obioha said.
Aggies should be fired up by Chavis’ past success against Alabama coach Nick Saban.
Although teams Chavis coached for are just 3-9 against Saban, Chavis was the chief reason those most of those games were competitive. Just last year LSU’s defense under Chavis' direction limited Alabama to 315 yards of total offense and 13 points in four quarters. But Alabama prevailed, 20-13, in overtime.
That Alabama offense averaged 36.9 points per game and had Amari Cooper, T.J. Yeldon and three other players selected in the NFL Draft. Yet, Chavis devised a strategy to limit the Tide to 13 points in regulation.
Brandon Jones, TexAgs
Unlike
in the majority of his other contests with the Tide, Chavis will be
backed by a potent offense led by one of the SEC's star quarterbacks.
Under Chavis, LSU also held Alabama to 331 yards in a 21-17 loss in 2012. The Tigers allowed 295 yards in a 9-6 victory over Alabama in 2011 and did not allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter in a 21-0 loss to Alabama in the 2011 national title game.
In his seven games against Alabama, Chavis’ LSU defense allowed more than 24 points just once (38 in 2013). Alabama averaged 21.6 points in those games.
Meanwhile, LSU’s offense averaged just 13.6 points in those games.
Texas A&M’s offense figures to give Chavis much more help and a greater margin for error. The Aggies are averaging 39.2 points. They’ve not been held to fewer than 28 points this season.
Quarterback Kyle Allen has thrown 13 touchdown passes and just two interceptions. Receiver Josh Reynolds is averaging 21.8 yards per catch and has scored three touchdowns. Receiver Christian Kirk averages 16.2 yards per catch and has four touchdowns. Kirk has had eight plays that have covered 30 yards or more.
The Aggies are averaging 292.4 passing yards per game. They’re averaging a respectable 188 rushing yards.
No team is likely to have sustained success running inside against Alabama. Georgia didn’t. Arkansas didn’t either.
But that isn’t A&M’s game. The Aggies’ spread offense is the kind of attack that has given Alabama problems in the past.
What if the Aggies' offense has a typical performance? What if the Aggies manage at least 28 points against Alabama? Will John Chavis devise a strategy to limit Kiffin’s offense and make that score sufficient for victory?
What do you think, jackass?
Chavis’ mouth answered: “No. Not at all.”
His face seemed to answer: “What do you think, jackass?”
Wouldn’t you garner extra motivation from facing the guy that fired you?
In November of 2008, Kiffin was named to replace ousted Phillip Fulmer as Tennessee’s head coach. Kiffin promptly fired Chavis and hired Monte Kiffin, his father, as defensive coordinator.
A year later Kiffin left Tennessee in a lurch and bolted to USC, where he failed, was fired and landed as Alabama offensive coordinator last year.
Meanwhile, the Chief went to LSU, helped the Tigers win an SEC championship, helped them reach the 2011 national championship game and generally fielded a kick-ass defense in Baton Rouge.
Advantage Chavis.
Still, who wouldn’t relish the opportunity to get some payback on a guy that fired you from a job in which you excelled to replace you with his dad?
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Chavis, who has Tennessee in his blood, already had reason not to like Alabama before his many slugfests against Nick Saban's program.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"Chavis, who has Tennessee in his blood, already had reason not to like Alabama before his many slugfests against Nick Saban\u0027s program.","MediaItemID":60876}
Chavis easily could have answered that question with coach speak. He could have offered admiration for Kiffin’s offense. He could have pointed out that getting fired is just an occupational hazard. He could have said he’d have done the same thing if in Lane Kiffin’s shoes.
He did not.
In truth, Chavis doesn’t need Kiffin to bring any extra venom into Saturday’s football feud at Kyle Field. Having Alabama on the opposite sideline is more than enough motivation.
Of course, Chavis played at Tennessee. He coached at Tennessee. Tennessee feels about Alabama much the same way Aggies feel about Texas.
Plus, winning a Southeastern Conference championship practically requires beating Alabama.
Chavis even admitted he gets a little more psyched up to face the Crimson Tide.
“I think, yeah, I hate to admit it, but probably so,” Chavis said on Tuesday. “You look at their stature. This is a big game for Texas A&M. My focus is on Texas A&M and this game being about us, but certainly, you've got a chance to go and compete against one of the best teams in the league and if that doesn't get you excited as a coach or player, you've got something missing. Players get (excited) for a game like this and coaches do too.”
A&M players can attest to that.
“I can’t really repeat what Coach Chavis says in meetings, but I can assure you Coach Chavis is fired up for this game,” senior defensive tackle Julien Obioha said.
Aggies should be fired up by Chavis’ past success against Alabama coach Nick Saban.
Although teams Chavis coached for are just 3-9 against Saban, Chavis was the chief reason those most of those games were competitive. Just last year LSU’s defense under Chavis' direction limited Alabama to 315 yards of total offense and 13 points in four quarters. But Alabama prevailed, 20-13, in overtime.
That Alabama offense averaged 36.9 points per game and had Amari Cooper, T.J. Yeldon and three other players selected in the NFL Draft. Yet, Chavis devised a strategy to limit the Tide to 13 points in regulation.
Brandon Jones, TexAgs
Unlike
in the majority of his other contests with the Tide, Chavis will be
backed by a potent offense led by one of the SEC's star quarterbacks.
In his seven games against Alabama, Chavis’ LSU defense allowed more than 24 points just once (38 in 2013). Alabama averaged 21.6 points in those games.
Meanwhile, LSU’s offense averaged just 13.6 points in those games.
Texas A&M’s offense figures to give Chavis much more help and a greater margin for error. The Aggies are averaging 39.2 points. They’ve not been held to fewer than 28 points this season.
Quarterback Kyle Allen has thrown 13 touchdown passes and just two interceptions. Receiver Josh Reynolds is averaging 21.8 yards per catch and has scored three touchdowns. Receiver Christian Kirk averages 16.2 yards per catch and has four touchdowns. Kirk has had eight plays that have covered 30 yards or more.
The Aggies are averaging 292.4 passing yards per game. They’re averaging a respectable 188 rushing yards.
No team is likely to have sustained success running inside against Alabama. Georgia didn’t. Arkansas didn’t either.
But that isn’t A&M’s game. The Aggies’ spread offense is the kind of attack that has given Alabama problems in the past.
What if the Aggies' offense has a typical performance? What if the Aggies manage at least 28 points against Alabama? Will John Chavis devise a strategy to limit Kiffin’s offense and make that score sufficient for victory?
What do you think, jackass?
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