Ole Miss snatches playoff semifinal spot in Sugar Bowl thriller as Lane Kiffin skips ex-team’s dramatic win
Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin spent their respective Thursdays moving on from their ugly recent split in dramatic fashion.
While the ex-Rebels football coach was showered with applause at a women’s basketball game at his new school, Louisiana State, his former players were 80 miles down the road in New Orleans, beating No. 3 Georgia with a last-minute kick in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
A last-second safety would push the score to 39-34 as Ole Miss improved to 13-1 to set up a Fiesta Bowl matchup with No. 10 Miami on January 8 in Glendale, Arizona.
Kiffin famously abandoned the Rebels to accept a seven-year, $91 million deal in Baton Rouge back on November 30 as Ole Miss was preparing for its first College Football Playoff berth. The 50-year-old coach said he’d hoped to continue coaching Ole Miss throughout the postseason, but was denied that chance by the school amid widespread criticism of Kiffin.
Since then, Kiffin has been persona non grata in Oxford, Mississippi, while his replacement, former defensive coordinator Pete Golding, led the Rebels to a first-round victory over Tulane in the CFP and Thursday’s victory over Georgia.
Despite the criticism of Kiffin’s departure among Ole Miss fans, he was rumored to be attending the Sugar Bowl until Thursday morning. On3’s Chris Low reported Kiffin was hoping to appear on ESPN’s broadcast, but the network was reluctant to agree. An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on the situation when contacted by the Daily Mail.
In the end, Kiffin opted to stay in Baton Rouge, where he and Lady Tigers coach Kim Mulker walked onto the court together, hand in hand.
Kewan Lacy #5 of the Ole Miss Rebels runs the ball after a catch against Elijah Griffin #90 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Sugar Bowl in New Orleans
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey, right, brings head football coach Lane Kiffin out onto the court in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kentucky in Baton Rouge
‘He was very gracious to come over here and let the LSU fans acknowledge him,’ Mulkey said after LSU fell 80-78 to SEC rival, Kentucky. ‘They have the [college football transfer] portal opening tomorrow, so I know he’s working. I appreciated him coming.’
Kiffin earned $9 million per season at Ole Miss, but defected to LSU for a seven-year deal that will pay him an average of $13 million a season while also getting assurances that the Tigers will have ample financial backing to pay for talent.
The son of late NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, Lane is taking over for Brian Kelly, who was fired in Baton Rouge after a devastating loss to Texas A&M. Kelly failed to reach the College Football Playoff in his three seasons with the school.
