Lane Kiffin has not been above trolling fans and tweaking his old boss in the days leading up to today’s showdown between Ole Miss and Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but it’s clear he looks back fondly on his days in Tuscaloosa.

Kiffin, Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16, was asked about his relationship with Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban during an appearance Saturday on SEC Nation on the SEC Network. Kiffin mentioned how Saban hired him shortly after he was fired as USC’s head coach midway through the 2013 season, and how Saban helped revitalize his career.

“I was in a very challenging, difficult time after the USC firing, in my life, kind of really rock bottom,” said Kiffin, in his fourth season as Ole Miss head coach. “I have so much appreciation for what Nick Saban did for me by taking an opportunity on me and really helping me through that. And I think until you really hit rock bottom kind of in your life and rebuild yourself from there, you really don’t figure yourself out. So I give him a lot of credit.”

Saban is now nearly 72 years old, and the 48-year-old Kiffin said he realized he might not have many more times to face his old mentor.

“I love going against him and seeing him before the game,” Kiffin said. “And so we’re very excited for this opportunity today and you never know how many more you got. Maybe this is our last time.

“So we’ll be very excited to have this opportunity today, and so much respect for coach and the Alabama football program.”

Here’s the video:

Alabama (2-1) is a 7-point favorite over Ole Miss (3-0) in the SEC opener for both teams. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m., with TV coverage on CBS.