Bitter Lane Kiffin makes bizarre excuse for his LSU team’s defeat by arch-rivals Ole Miss
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin has bizarrely claimed that his former team Ole Miss gained an advantage in their game after blasting in-stadium music ‘again and again.’
Kiffin’s highly anticipated return to Vaught Hemingway Stadium turned sour on Saturday as his former team secured a 32-24 victory in front of over 70,000 fans.
The 51-year-old had departed Ole Miss under bitter circumstances to take over in Baton Rouge – just days before the Rebels played their first ever CFP game – ensuring a hostile reception from the Oxford crowd upon his return.
Speaking on Wednesday, Kiffin suggested that the hostile environment was aided by rule-breaking antics from the Rebels’ stadium operations staff.
When asked to explain the struggles of LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who managed just 158 yards passing on the night, Kiffin pointed the finger at the sound system.
‘Those games happen and a lot of factors go into that,’ Kiffin began. ‘We didn’t protect really well around him; the crowd noise and music being played all the way through the snap when the center’s hand is on the ball. Again and again.’
LSU coach Lane Kiffin has blamed the in-stadium sound system for their defeat to Ole Miss
Kiffin’s highly anticipated return to Vaught Hemingway Stadium turned sour on Saturday as his former team secured a 32-24 victory in front of over 70,000 fans
SEC regulations strictly prohibit the use of controlled music or sound systems from the moment the offensive center places a hand on the football.
While Kiffin stopped short of solely blaming the stadium speakers for the defeat, bringing up the grievance three days afterwards sparked ridicule from fans online.
Taking to X, one fan wrote: ‘Kiffin making excuses and blaming the music. Hilarious and Pathetic! I’m having so much fun with this.’
Elsewhere on the day, Ole Miss players were filmed refusing to shake hands with Kiffin in a brutal final act of revenge after beating LSU on his return.
Footage after the game showed Kiffin approaching some of his former players to attempt to shake hands and congratulate them immediately after the game-sealing end zone interception by Jaylon Braxton.
But they kept their hands firmly behind their backs, refusing to extend the gesture and leaving Kiffin with no doubt how they feel about him.
Footage shared by ESPN of Kiffin’s walk off the field even showed some players approaching Kiffin and staring him down, with linebacker Suntarine Perkins grinning as he looked Kiffin up-and-down while he made his way back to the locker room.
After the game, Kiffin admitted to being ’emotional’ and being relieved his much anticipated return to Oxford was over.
Kiffin, accompanied by a number of police officers, was greeted by a chorus of boos and jeers
Kiffin admitted to being ’emotional’ and relieved that his return to Oxford was over
‘I’m sure I will be criticized for saying this, but yeah I am (glad it is over),’ Kiffin said. ‘I was thinking that all week, especially today. I would’ve said that with a win or loss.
‘I was really emotional driving on the buses for a lot of reasons. I’m not just saying that because of the loss. I would’ve said this anyway, and since you asked me, it was just really a lot of emotions of gratitude for this place and for the six years.
‘It went well beyond football. It was also my first time coming into this type of game without my dad. It was just a lot, and it was really emotional. But it wasn’t emotional in the way that I thought it would be.
‘I thought I would have felt more of the name calling when we got off the bus and everything. It was much more, so just a lot of gratitude for this place and the people that changed my life, way bigger than a football game.’
