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SportsActive today · day 7

Kiffin's emotional return ends in Ole Miss upset; LSU coach credits his own departure

Lane Kiffin lost 32-24 to the Ole Miss program he built, acknowledging unexpected emotions and joking the stadium filled only after he left.

newest coverage 3h agosummary written 3d ago80 pieces10 likes & upvotes NewswiresGoogle NewsMastodon

What to know

  • Ole Miss defeated Kiffin's LSU team 32-24 in his first return to Oxford since departing for LSU last November, with the game drawing a record-breaking crowd.
  • Kiffin acknowledged unexpected emotional difficulty during the return, citing his six years at Ole Miss and the absence of his father, though he tried to frame his loss with characteristic humor about stadium atmosphere.
  • The loss demonstrated that the program Kiffin built at Ole Miss—including retaining star QB Trinidad Chambliss and RB Kewan Lacy—proved durable enough to succeed without him, despite LSU's $91 million investment in him.
  • Kiffin's $91 million LSU contract and the loss drew mockery from Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves and other observers on social media.

“The best coach Ole Miss has had since integration lost to his own creation on Saturday night. It was both a total repudiation of Lane Kiffin and a demonstration of why LSU committed $91 million to him.”

Alex Kirshner, SB Nation columnist · SB Nation ↗

Lane KiffinLane Kiffin LSU head coachOle Miss Rebels Kiffin's former programTate ReevesTate Reeves Mississippi GovernorPete Golding Ole Miss head coach

Kiffin's emotional return ends in Ole Miss upset; LSU coach credits his own departure
Yahoo Sports

How it unfolded 4 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articles

Peak 14 pieces in two hours at Sep 20, 9 AM; 80 pieces over 7 days (79 articles · 1 post) Sep 17, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 17, 9 AM — quietSep 17, 11 AM — quietSep 17, 1 PM — quietSep 17, 3 PM — quietSep 17, 5 PM — quietSep 17, 7 PM — quietSep 17, 9 PM — quietSep 17, 11 PM — quietSep 18, 1 AM — quietSep 18, 3 AM — quietSep 18, 5 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 18, 7 AM — quietSep 18, 9 AM — quietSep 18, 11 AM — quietSep 18, 1 PM — quietSep 18, 3 PM — quietSep 18, 5 PM — quietSep 18, 7 PM — quietSep 18, 9 PM — quietSep 18, 11 PM — quietSep 19, 1 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 19, 3 AM — quietSep 19, 5 AM — quietSep 19, 7 AM — quietSep 19, 9 AM — quietSep 19, 11 AM — quietSep 19, 1 PM — quietSep 19, 3 PM — quietSep 19, 5 PM — quietSep 19, 7 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Newswires 3Sep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Mastodon 1Sep 20, 7 AM — 8 pieces · 8 articles — Newswires 8Sep 20, 9 AM — 14 pieces · 14 articles — Newswires 8, Google News 6Sep 20, 11 AM — 7 pieces · 7 articles — Newswires 5, Google News 2Sep 20, 1 PM — 4 pieces · 4 articles — Newswires 4Sep 20, 3 PM — 7 pieces · 7 articles — Newswires 7Sep 20, 5 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 20, 7 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 20, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 21, 9 AM — 4 pieces · 4 articles — Newswires 4Sep 21, 11 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Newswires 1, Mastodon 1Sep 21, 1 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 21, 3 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 21, 5 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 7 PM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Newswires 3Sep 21, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 1, Newswires 1Yesterday, 3 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Yesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Today, 1 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Today, 3 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quiet 1–4
Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 6:44 AM ET
  1. 4

    Mississippi Gov. Reeves mocks Kiffin's $91 million LSU contract

    Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves trolled Kiffin on social media following the loss, mocking his massive LSU contract in light of the defeat.

    1. 9 outlets Mississippi gov trolls Lane Kiffin, LSU after Ole Miss defeats Tigers in coach's return to Oxford

      first by Fox News, 3d ago · also Yahoo Sports, The Oregonian, MassLive, PennLive, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated +2

      18 more headlines
    2. 4 outlets Lane Kiffin waxes poetic about Ole Miss atmosphere after painful LSU loss

      first by Yahoo Sports, 3d ago · also NY Post, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated

      12 more headlines
    1 more claim →

    • Did LSU’s loss to Ole Miss expose a bigger problem for Lane Kiffin and the Tigers? The Athletic’s college football staff breaks down their takeaways from the game:

      TheAthletic@sportsbots.xyzMastodon2d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. 3

    Analysts say Kiffin's Ole Miss creation outlasted his departure

    Sports writers noted that while Kiffin lost to the program he transformed, the game demonstrated the durability of the program he built. Ole Miss retained key players (QB Trinidad Chambliss and RB Kewan Lacy) despite Kiffin's efforts to recruit them to LSU, and the program's financial resources and culture proved sufficient to sustain success without him.

  3. 2

    Kiffin takes final shot at Ole Miss over stadium atmosphere

    In a characteristic parting remark, Kiffin joked that Ole Miss' packed stadium—full an hour before kickoff—proved his own departure had driven attendance. He credited himself for raising the program's profile.

    “The stadium was full an hour early. So, I guess I had to leave to get them to do that. You're welcome.”
    — Lane Kiffin
    1. 5 outlets Ole Miss trolls LSU with Kiffin video after beating Tigers

      first by NJ.com, 3d ago · also Yahoo Sports, The Oregonian, PennLive, MassLive

      1 more headline
  4. 1

    Kiffin acknowledges humanity after loss

    Kiffin admitted he was surprised by the depth of his emotional response, noting he expected to be in competitive mode. He added: "I know sometimes I don't act like it, but I'm a human too."

    “Sometimes, you can't predict your emotions. I know sometimes I don't act like it, but I'm a human too.”
    — Lane Kiffin
    1. 1 outlet Lane Kiffin reveals his emotions after LSU loss to Ole Miss: 'I'm human too'

      first by Yahoo Sports, 3d ago

  5. background

    Kiffin reveals unexpected emotions after loss to former team — In his postgame remarks, Kiffin spoke to reporters about the emotional weight of returning to Ole Miss. He said he felt "a lot of emotions of gratefulness for the six years" and acknowledged that the absence of his father made the moment harder.

  6. background

    Ole Miss defeats Kiffin's LSU team 32-24 in Oxford — In a Week 3 SEC matchup, No. 9 Ole Miss beat No. 7 LSU 32-24 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Kiffin, who coached Ole Miss from 2020 through 2026 before joining LSU, returned to Oxford facing his former program.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 3 outlets LSU-Ole Miss Draws Record-Breaking Crowd for Lane Kiffin’s Return to Oxford

    first by Newsweek, 3d ago · also Yahoo Sports, Awful Announcing

    4 more headlines
  2. 2 outlets Stephen A. Smith, Paul Finebaum believe Lane Kiffin will win national title at LSU

    first by Yahoo Sports, 2d ago · also Awful Announcing

  3. 2 outlets Lane Kiffin couldn't help himself, takes petty shot at Ole Miss fans after LSU loss in his return to Oxford

    first by Fox News, 3d ago · also Yahoo Sports

    1 more headline

and 9 smaller pieces