Joe Flacco out here catching strays. Leave it to Lane Kiffin to deliver the most memorable line of the week. As Kentucky prepares to host Ole Miss in a pivotal SEC matchup, the ever-quotable Rebels coach summed up the challenge of facing Wildcats quarterback Zach Calzada with a hilarious comparison.
“It’s a quarterback that’s thrown for like 9,000 yards, whatever, in his 10th year of playing,” Kiffin quipped. “So, it’s a guy who’s won a lot of games, played a lot, throws really well. It’s like college football career like they’ve got Joe Flacco now or something.”
The "College Joe Flacco" moniker is classic Kiffin, the ultimate troll. But in this war of words, Mark Stoops wasn't about to let his opponent control the narrative, offering up a backhanded compliment of his own about Ole Miss’s young signal-caller. These two guys just do not like each other.
Stoops returns fire on an "inexperienced" quarterback
While Kiffin focused on Calzada's age and experience, Mark Stoops was quick to counter the idea that his defense is facing a fresh-faced newcomer in Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons. Despite Simmons being a redshirt sophomore in his first year as a full-time starter, Stoops sees a veteran in the making.
“You look at the progression of Austin Simmons and what he’s doing in his third year, and man, he looks good, and you sit there and say in one aspect, he’s inexperienced, but he’s not,” Stoops argued. “This is his third year in the system. He stepped in last year and played extremely well against Georgia– they didn’t miss a beat. I had to go back and look. Do you know what I mean? Like, wait a minute here.”
It’s a smart move by Stoops, designed to manage expectations while simultaneously warning his own team not to underestimate the man under center for the Rebels. By highlighting Simmons’ seamless performance against a powerhouse like Georgia, Stoops is making it clear that his defense will have its hands full.
The truth behind the banter
Behind the coaching compliments lies a more complex reality for both quarterbacks. Kiffin’s “Joe Flacco” has indeed seen it all, with stops at Texas A&M, Auburn (where he was injured), and Incarnate Word. That experience should be an asset, yet Calzada looked hesitant and struggled mightily in week one. His long journey is both a blessing of poise and a potential curse of perception.
On the other side, Stoops is right that Simmons is no rookie to the Ole Miss system. He’s talented, comfortable, and showed immense promise last season. However, there’s a massive difference between being a spot-starter and being “The Guy” with the full weight of an SEC offense on your shoulders every week.
The pre-game talk is officially over. On Saturday, the coaches’ carefully crafted narratives will fade away, and the real test will begin for the "College Joe Flacco" and the "inexperienced but not" sophomore.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time, he spends time with his family, and watching Premier League soccer. Proverbs 3:5-6. #UpTheAlbion