There are rivalry games, and then there are revenge games. Saturday night’s SEC showdown between LSU and Ole Miss has been circled on the calendar since November 30, 2025-the day Lane Kiffin left the 11-1 Rebels right before the College Football Playoff to become the Tigers’ head coach. Typical Lane Kiffin style.
The Breakup
Lane Kiffin wanted to continue coaching Ole Miss through the 2025 playoffs, but Ole Miss AD Keith Carter said go bleep yourself the moment Kiffin accepted the LSU job. Pete Golding took over the Rebels, and Kiffin has been the most hated man in Oxford, Mississippi.
College football is petty, chaotic, and completely incapable of letting anyone quietly move on from a breakup. Seriously, who needs reality TV when you can just follow the college coaching drama? As a former ex of Kiffin (Tennessee, 2009), it’s reassuring to know it wasn’t UT. Kiffin is always the problem. Now, we welcomed Kiffin back to Knoxville in 2021 with a standing ovation. And by standing ovation, I mean we had a 20-minute delay so security could clean up all the trash that was thrown at him-including a full-size mustard bottle and a neon golf ball. Kiffin kept that neon golf ball and we have moved on. Keep your popcorn handy. Watching Kiffin wreck other teams and their fan bases will forever be entertaining.
Returning to Oxford
Imagine leaving your ex, upgrading your wardrobe, returning ten months later, and finding out she’s doing significantly better without you. Welcome back, Lane. Except Ole Miss didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet.
The No. 7 Tigers visiting the No. 8 Rebels already had the rankings, the SEC implications, and the Magnolia Bowl rivalry. But the headlines were all about Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when your ex shows up with someone new and 70,000 of your closest friends are there to boo him, welcome to SEC football.
The Rebels jumped out to a 17-0 lead and went into halftime ahead 24-7. At that point, Oxford wasn’t just enjoying a football game. It was enjoying therapy.
Unfortunately for Ole Miss fans, LSU decided to make the second half interesting. The Tigers scored 17 unanswered points and tied the game at 24 in the fourth quarter. Because of course they did.
Nothing in college football can ever just be easy. You can’t simply embarrass your former coach on national television and go home happy. There has to be unnecessary stress, a fourth-quarter comeback, and at least one moment when an entire fan base begins questioning every decision it has ever made.
Enter Trinidad Chambliss
Kiffin helped bring Trinidad Chambliss to Ole Miss from Division II Ferris State. Kiffin spent years building Ole Miss. Saturday night, Ole Miss showed him the renovations were coming along just fine without him. With the game tied, Chambliss led Ole Miss 75 yards down the field and then kept the ball himself for a 14-yard touchdown. Ole Miss added the two-point conversion. 32-24.
Trinidad Chambliss threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns before running in the score that ultimately beat Kiffin’s new team. College football has a sense of humor.
LSU still had one final chance and drove all the way to the Ole Miss 6-yard line. But on fourth down, Sam Leavitt’s pass was tipped and intercepted in the end zone. Ballgame. Ole Miss 32. LSU 24.
Kiffin’s return to Oxford ended with the quarterback he helped bring to Ole Miss taking a knee while the Rebels celebrated.
The SEC Keeps Receipts
Saturday night had everything that makes SEC football better than any reality show on television: a top-10 matchup, a rivalry, an ex-coach, a comeback, revenge, 70,000 angry people, and a quarterback delivering the ultimate “we’re doing just fine without you.” Ole Miss didn’t just beat LSU. The Rebels got closure.
And because beating your ex 32-24 apparently wasn’t petty enough, Ole Miss sent LSU back to the locker room while blasting “Neck.”
THEIR SONG.
I’m honestly shocked punches weren’t thrown over that level of disrespect.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdfowCWMnxP/?stkn=MThkYmVnb3p6YXBxag==
Ole Miss won this battle, but they didn’t end the war. Lane Kiffin drama and SEC pettiness are the gifts that keep on giving. Man, I love Kiffin drama and SEC football.
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