Lane Kiffin Expects ‘Hatred’ In Return To Ole Miss, But Says The Pressure Is On Rebels

Lane Kiffin knows all eyes will be on him Saturday when he returns to Oxford for the first time as LSU's head coach.

Kiffin was asked about his highly anticipated return to Ole Miss during his Monday press conference and admitted it will be an unusual situation after spending six seasons building the Rebels' program before taking over at LSU.

“Well, I think it is unusual,” Kiffin said. “Like you said, one team you built and then now a new team that you're building, and so probably a really unusual situation that way.”

But Kiffin made it clear that he doesn't want his return to become a distraction for his players.

“I know obviously a lot's going to be made about me, but this is about the players being prepared really well and playing really well,” Kiffin said. “Pete's not going to tackle anybody. I'm not going to throw any touchdowns.”

Kiffin later acknowledged the hostile reception he's expecting in Oxford and told his players they can use all of the attention surrounding him to their advantage.

“I told the players today, man, you don't have anything to worry about as far as attention on you all week,” Kiffin said. “There's just gonna be so much attention, hatred, everything on me. I said, you just get to go play.”

Kiffin also flipped the pressure back onto Ole Miss, pointing to what the Rebels accomplished last season and the talent they return.

“Really, the pressure's on them,” Kiffin said. “We won seven games last year. They won 13. They return two Heisman candidates. How often does that ever happen in the same backfield?”

Saturday's matchup will feature two undefeated Top-10 teams and marks the SEC opener for both programs. Kiffin said his message to LSU is to ignore everything surrounding his return and focus on preparation.

“It won't be about all the other stuff and all the noise and everything,” Kiffin said. “It'll be about how well did we practice, how well did we prepare, so how well did we play on game day.”

Kickoff from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

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