LSU officials have taken extra security steps to protect their coach ahead of Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss this weekend, with what's sure to be college football's rowdiest environment inside a sold-out Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Kiffin's already had one rude welcome at a former program as an SEC coach after Tennessee fans hurled golf balls and a mustard bottle in his direction during the 2021 season. The animosity is stronger this time around after the former Rebels coach left Ole Miss last November ahead of the College Football Playoff to assume the same position at a league rival.
It was a betrayal of the highest order in the eyes of the Ole Miss faithful after Kiffin resurrected the program and won at a historic level in recent years. "I guess there's real safety issues and stuff, so there's people that have a plan for that, it is what it is," Kiffin said Monday. "But I told the players today, you don't have anything to worry about anything as far as attention on you all week.
There's so much attention and hatred on me, you just get to go play. "Really, the pressure is on them (Ole Miss). We won seven games last year; they won 13.
They return two Heisman candidates. How often does that happen in the same backfield?" Eighth-ranked Ole Miss has won 13 consecutive home games dating back to Kiffin's successful tenure, the third-longest active streak in FBS. Kiffin left fire in his wake last season after poaching several Ole Miss assistants, a couple of his former players in the transfer portal and attempting to add two NFL players last month after courtroom wins, before the university decided against it with the threat of SEC expulsion looming.
He created so much unnecessary drama surrounding the transition that it only added to the resentment from those he left behind. Saturday night in Oxford, none of the off-the-field stuff surrounding his departure matters when the ball is kicked off between two top-10 teams. "I think it is unusual, one team you built and now a new team you're building," Kiffin said.
"Probably an unusual situation that way, but I know a lot's going to be made about me, but this is about the players preparing really well and playing really well. Pete (Golding)'s not going to tackle anybody, and I'm not going to throw any touchdowns. "This is the first SEC game and both teams are 2-0.
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