Ole Miss fans made their feelings about Lane Kiffin's return crystal clear before kickoff Saturday, greeting their former coach with vulgar chants as ESPN's College GameDay broadcast live from Oxford, Mississippi, ahead of a top 10 showdown between LSU Tigers and the Rebels. The two teams have had a long rivalry since they first played in 1894 and have since played against each other 114 times. Fans repeatedly directed expletive-laden chants at Kiffin, who left Ole Miss for LSU following last season, setting the stage for one of the most emotionally charged games of the college football season.
The hostility extended beyond the television broadcast. According to the , mockery of Kiffin could be seen and heard throughout The Grove, the university's famed tailgating area, where fans displayed signs and openly vented frustration over the coach's departure. During his morning TV appearance, when boos and chants could be heard from the crowd, Kiffin said, “There’s going to be a lot of emotion all through the stadium obviously that you’re feeling there right now," the AP reported.
Signs held by members of the crowd behind the set also referred to Kiffin as a traitor, according to the outlet. Despite the reaction, Kiffin remained focused on the matchup, telling the show's panel that both teams feature talented players and coaches and describing the contest as a major national game between two elite programs. Newsweek reached out to LSU and Ole Miss by email Saturday for comment.
The game represents far more than a matchup between two nationally ranked Southeastern Conference programs. Kiffin spent six seasons building Ole Miss into a contender before leaving for LSU, a move that angered many fans who believed the Rebels were positioned to compete at the highest level. His return to Oxford as the opposing coach has become one of the biggest storylines of the college football season.
The intensity surrounding the game has also drawn national attention. According to the AP, state officials have said they were assembling the state’s largest law enforcement presence ever for a college football game. Authorities are reportedly expecting around 100,000 people to come to Oxford—many of them without tickets to the 64,000-seat Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
He arrived at Ole Miss in 2020 and helped transform the Rebels into a consistent winner, leading the program to multiple 10-win seasons, bowl appearances and a College Football Playoff berth. His success elevated the profile of the program and made him one of the sport's most sought-after coaches. But that success also made his departure particularly painful for many Ole Miss supporters.
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