LSU's Lane Kiffin takes one last parting shot at Ole Miss: 'You're welcome' - USA Today

The Week 3 SEC matchup between No. 7 LSU and No. 9 Mississippi had less to do with the players facing off on the field and more with the coach prowling the visitors' side of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Lane Kiffin – the Rebels coach who infamously defected from Ole Miss following an 11-1 regular season for the Tigers – understood that much as he made his way back to Oxford, Mississippi, for one of the unhappiest homecomings college football is likely to offer this season.

And, even though his Tigers were humbled 32-24 in the top-10 SEC showdown, Kiffin found a way to take one final parting shot at the program he had built up since the 2020 college football season. Speaking on the atmosphere of the game, Kiffin noted that the stadium had filled an hour before kickoff – and fans had him to thank.

"The stadium was full an hour early," Kiffin said. "So, I guess I had to leave to get them to do that. You’re welcome."

Whether there's truth to Kiffin's statement is uncertain, though it would certainly lend credence to his purported reasoning for leaving the Rebels – to coach a program more dedicated to winning a championship, and with fewer obstacles to achieve that goal.

As it stands, the program Kiffin built up into a College Football Playoff contender was closer to that title on Sept. 19 than his current team. Part of that, he said, was what he described as an emotional return to the place he coached from 2020 through 2026.

"Just thought it would probably be in like the competitive mode, you know, and just kind of embrace it," Kiffin said of his return. "It was a little bit. I don't know, sometimes you can't predict your emotions.

"I know that sometimes I don't act like it but I got to, I'm human too you know."