Apparently Lane Kiffin does not know when his players hold meetings for themselves, but according to Marqise Lee, that is the point.

Lee, a junior at the University of Southern California (USC) and the Trojans' top receiver, told the Los Angeles Daily News he and some teammates held a players-only meeting following the team's loss to Washington State Saturday.

Kiffin, USC's head football coach, previously said no such meeting took place. For those speculating if this contradiction is another reason to fire Kiffin, Lee said his coach was not supposed to know.

"Players (only). Players. Kiffin don't know nothing about it. No coaches (were allowed). We did have that meeting," Lee said. "Now (Kiffin) knows."

The Trojans' receiver said the meeting did not focus on the loss to Washington State, which caused the team to fall out of the Associated Press' top-25 ranking. Instead, it was about the team's future.

"It was about what we do after that point," Lee said. "I think everyone got it."

Defensive end Devon Kennard, senior, and linebacker Hayes Pullard, junior, also spoke during the meeting.

In the same report, backup quarterback Max Wittek also said something to rebut what the team's coach had said. When Kiffin announced that Cody Kessler had won the starting quarterback job, he said: "I spent more time with the guy who doesn't get (the starting job). I spent time with Max making sure he's ready to go."

However, Wittek said his coach's version was not exactly true.

"That wasn't an extensive conversation," he said of his talk with Kiffin. "It was real brief."

Kiffin addressed criticism for his conservative approach despite being down in the game and only putting up seven points. USC is known for its ground attack and, despite starting tailback Silas Redd not playing a game yet, the Trojans have stuck to their game plan.

"We're not trying to lose," Kiffin said. "Just because we run the ball doesn't mean you aren't trying to win. That's what my job is to do, it's to win games."