LOS ANGELES --- Lane Kiffin says there's nothing he ever finds himself doing that allows him to think “Wow, that's the way Norm Chow does it.”
That's not to say Kiffin doesn't have any respect for his old boss.
When he speaks of Chow, he does so with high praise.
“(He’s) one of the greatest minds to coach college football,” Kiffin said.
The USC head coach says there is no rift nor was there ever one between him and Chow. He courted Chow to be his offensive coordinator when he took over at USC, which would have been interesting in itself when you consider Kiffin calls plays whenever given the chance.
When Chow hears comments of any rift, he thinks it’s overblown.
“That’s somebody else doing it. Not us,” Chow said. “We had lots of success (at USC). Lane was an up and coming young guy. He knew where he wanted to go. That’s all exaggerated.
“That’s just media stuff. I see Lane all the time. We both live in Manhattan Beach.”
This will be the third time the two have faced eachoter since Kiffin was named head coach at USC. They met while Chow was the offensive coordinator at UCLA – a 28-14 USC win - and last season when Chow was the offensive coordinator at his alma mater Utah – a 23-14 USC win.
The two also faced each other when Kiffin was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders and Chow ran the offense for the Tennessee Titans.
“Somehow we just continue to follow him around,” Kiffin said. “We’ve played him like six times now at three different places.”
Saturday will mark the first time Kiffin, or anyone, has faced Chow as a head coach. The longtime assistant and famed offensive coordinator will be making his head coaching debut when he leads Hawaii into the Coliseum to face No. 1 USC.
The “Prep Not Hype” Trojans are largely considered a favorite to reach the BCS national championship game. The road to a possible national title begins with a familiar foe.
Kiffin and company knows the shotgun spread, run-and-shoot Warriors won’t be walking down the Coliseum tunnel on Saturday. With Chow expected to call the plays, they know what to expect and despite being a huge favorite, they are not taking the offensive mastermind lightly.
“I don’t think you’re going to fool Norm Chow,” said USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. “You’re going to have to execute. You won’t show him a defense he hasn’t seen. He’s seen it all.”
Chow will look to Sean Schroeder to quarterback his offense. Schroeder, a Dana Hills alum, is a transfer from Duke.
The approach to Hawaii for the Trojans has been the same as it’s been since Kiffin arrived. It’s not going to change because Chow is on the opposite sideline. It’s not going to change because the bowl ban is lifted and the Trojans actually have something tangible to play for.
“Not anything different at all,” Lane Kiffin said. “We don’t look at the season as a whole and the end of the season at all. It’s about playing really well today.”
