Ole Miss Beats LSU 32-24 as Pete Golding Steals Lane Kiffin's Return Spotlight
Ole Miss defeated LSU 32-24 in Oxford, spoiling Lane Kiffin's highly anticipated return and turning the spotlight on current head coach Pete Golding and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
Ole Miss defeated LSU 32-24 on Saturday night at Vaught Hemingway Stadium, spoiling Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford and shifting the spotlight to the coach who stayed behind. Pete Golding, now leading the Rebels, walked out of his postgame press conference to a standing ovation from donors, a scene that underscored how thoroughly the night belonged to the program Kiffin left rather than the one he came back to lead.
The buildup had been cinematic. Fences guarded the LSU entrance, state troopers flanked Kiffin as he left the field, and signs across the Grove made clear how Mississippi felt about the coach who departed before Ole Miss began its College Football Playoff run. Kiffin himself admitted the week weighed on him. «Yea, I'm sure I'll be criticized for saying that, but I am,» he said afterward. «I was thinking that all week, especially today. And, I would have said that in a win or loss.» He described the bus ride into the stadium as deeply emotional, noting it was his first such game without his father and expressing gratitude for his six years in Oxford.
But the game itself belonged to the players and coaches who chose to remain. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, a former Ferris State transfer, sprinted around defenders into the end zone late in the fourth quarter to put Ole Miss ahead for good. Aside from a third-quarter interception, he controlled the game and embodied the stability the Rebels have found since Kiffin's exit. Chambliss had considered following Kiffin to LSU to finish his career under offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., but his decision to stay in Oxford paid off in front of what was described as the wildest crowd the stadium has seen.
Golding, meanwhile, secured the second-biggest win of his short tenure, trailing only a Sugar Bowl victory. Super agent Jimmy Sexton watched from the side as Ole Miss collective CEO Walker Jones held a game ball, visibly relieved that the long-anticipated weekend was over. For ten months, the storyline had been the Kiffin biopic, self-directed and heavily promoted. It sold tickets, but the ending was written by the people he left behind.
Kiffin now resides in Baton Rouge, and his LSU team left Oxford with a loss. As he walked off the field, the cheers raining down from Ole Miss fans were not for him. They were for Golding, the current leader who earned the credit. The message from Oxford was clear: this Ole Miss program is going to be just fine without Lane Kiffin.
