EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWhile LSU coach Lane Kiffin is trying to downplay the emotions surrounding his return to Ole Miss on Saturday, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry knows what kind of atmosphere will be waiting for the No. 7 Tigers in their SEC opener."I'm thinking about having to send him in on an F-16 and maybe the team on a C-130," Landry told ESPN. "Security is going to be really tight. You know, we might need the National Guard out there to protect our team. I think it's going to be an interesting weekend."Landry was joking, of course, but Kiffin's return to Oxford, Mississippi, will likely stir up plenty of vitriol from the No. 8 Rebels and their fans.Kiffin guided Ole Miss to an 11-1 record in 2025 before leaving for LSU two days after the regular-season finale.Defensive coordinator Pete Golding was promoted to replace Kiffin, who lobbied to coach the Rebels in the postseason even after accepting the LSU job. Under Golding, the Rebels won their first two games in the CFP before falling to Miami 31-27 in a CFP Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl.Landry told ESPN that his office has had discussions with Ole Miss officials to ensure that Kiffin and LSU's players will be safe."I know that we've been talking with Mississippi and making sure that we have adequate security for the team and coach," Landry said. "But I'm hoping that we can go there and play in complete Southern hospitality and have a great, great game."During his weekly news conference in Baton Rouge on Monday, Kiffin told reporters that he discussed with his players what might be in store for them in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium."We talk about that," Kiffin said. "I guess there's real safety issues and stuff, so there's people that have a plan for that. I told the players today, 'Man, you don't have anything to worry about as far as, like, attention on you all week and everything. There's going to be so much attention, hatred, everything on me. You just get to go play.'"Golding is urging Ole Miss fans not to cross a line on Saturday."To me, what this place has always been about and why so many people love coming here and respect this place, is because of the people that are here," Golding told reporters in Oxford. "And how they make them feel when they come here. That's always been something for me. When you come here and meet Ole Miss alumni and all that, they are so respectful."Let's not lose that over a game, over a person, over anyone else like that. There's nothing wrong with being competitive and being in the moment and being really loud and being an unbelievable fan. But at the end of the day, don't lose what we have created and what they have created for so long, which is a really unique place with really good people that's really hard to play."Kiffin suggested that there's more pressure on Ole Miss to win Saturday's game, given where the teams were at the end of last season. LSU fired coach Brian Kelly after eight games and finished 7-6.Ole Miss had one of its best seasons with a 13-2 record and brought back Heisman Trophy candidates Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy."Really, the pressure's on them," Kiffin told his players. "We won seven games last year. They won 13. They return two Heisman candidates. How often does that ever happen in the same backfield? We had it one time [at USC] with Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush ... You guys just get to go play. The pressure's not on you.'"It's the first time since 1962 that both teams are ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll, making the stakes even bigger."In games, there's winners and losers," Kiffin said. "But sometimes in decisions and things that go on, there's not always a winner and a loser. They've been playing this matchup for a long time, and this is the first time in the last 64 years that both teams are in the top 10. It's the most relevant matchup of these two teams in 64 years."I think that's a really neat thing, that we were able to be a part of building a program there, [and] Pete's doing a great job of continuing it as a top-10 program. When we got there, they'd won four games, and when we got here eight months ago, they were 7-6. I think a lot of people will be looking at it and say, 'Hey, you know, both sides are doing really well and both sides won.'"Much of the Rebels' hard feelings toward Kiffin surround how he left and what he tried to do once he was gone. He attempted to persuade Chambliss and Lacy to transfer to LSU. Four Ole Miss players, including star defensive end Princewill Umanmielen and linebacker TJ Dottery, did transfer to join their former coach."I think it is unusual," Kiffin said. "[It's] one team you built and then now a new team that you're building. Obviously, a lot's going to be made about me, but this is about the players being prepared really well and playing really well, you know? Pete's not going to tackle anybody; I'm not going to throw any touchdowns."
