No. 7 LSU will experience one of college football’s most charged environments in Week 3 as coach Lane Kiffin prepares to return to Oxford in an anticipated matchup against No. 8 Ole Miss.
Kiffin spent six seasons at Ole Miss and compiled a 55-19 record before leaving for LSU ahead of the Rebels’ College Football Playoff run last season.
The Tigers head coach tried to shift the pressure entirely onto his former program Monday, telling LSU’s players that the Rebels are the ones entering Saturday’s top-10 showdown carrying the biggest expectations.
“The pressure is on them,” Kiffin said. “We won seven games last year. They won 13. They returned two Heisman candidates. You guys get to go play. The pressure is not on you.”
Kiffin’s departure from Ole Miss created hard feelings in Oxford, and the coach made sure to agitate the buildup ahead of his return.
“I guess there’s real safety issues and stuff, so there’s people that have a plan for that,” Kiffin said. “There’s going to be so much attention, hatred, everything on me. You just get to go play.”
Despite the unusual circumstances and all of the attention he’s gotten, Kiffin acknowledged it’s on LSU’s players to perform and win the football game on Saturday.
“I know a lot has been made about me, but this is about the players being prepared very well,” Kiffin said. “I’m not gonna tackle anybody. I’m not gonna throw any touchdowns.”
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Both programs enter the matchup undefeated at 2-0. LSU opened Kiffin’s tenure with a 51-10 win over Clemson before beating Louisiana Tech 45-14, while the Rebels enter as the higher-ranked team at No. 8 after 41-9 and 41-38 wins over Charlotte and Louisville, respectively.
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Per ESPN, the matchup will mark the first time since 1962 that LSU and Ole Miss meet with both ranked inside the AP top 10.
No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss will get their game going at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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