Still, Alabama’s offense needed a spark at the break. Maybe that came in the form of a gloriously inspirational speech from Coach Nick Saban. Maybe it came in the shape of a reality check from the players themselves.

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Or maybe, just maybe, it came by way of a text message from former Southern Cal coach Steve Sarkisian to Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.

Now, we’re not suggesting the outcome of this game had anything to do with the embattled quarterback guru, who was fired from Southern Cal last October following reports of alcohol abuse. Nor are we saying that Kiffin acted on his former boss’s suggestions.

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But the revelation was interesting nonetheless, as were Kiffin’s other musings on Sarkisian at the College Football Playoff championship media day in Phoenix Saturday. The nomadic offensive mastermind also said that if he were a head coach he would “definitely” hire Sarkisian to join his staff.

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“People go through things, and they happen,” said Kiffin, who coached alongside Sarkisian as a fellow assistant at Southern Cal under Pete Carroll in the mid-2000s. “There are all kinds of comeback stories, great comeback American stories. Hopefully, he’ll be one of them.”

Kiffin, apparently in an expansive mood this weekend, also regaled reporters with stories about past interactions with current boss Nick Saban and Alabama. He revealed that Saban offered him the offensive coordinator position at Alabama in 2007, when Saban first arrived in Tuscaloosa. Kiffin, in charge of the Trojans’ offense at the time, ultimately turned down the offer after serious consideration.

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“He called about the job and I actually took about two or three days to figure it out. I talked to Coach Carroll about it, decided to stay. It was a great opportunity but we were kind of right in the middle of the USC run and I didn’t know Coach Saban. It was deciding whether to move to Tuscaloosa, Alabama with him or stay at USC and years later it ended up happening.”