Stephen A. Smith Reveals What LSU's Loss To Ole Miss Told Him About Lane Kiffin

Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford didn't go LSU's way on the scoreboard, but Stephen A. Smith made clear on Monday's First Take that the near-disaster only reinforced his belief in what Kiffin's building in Baton Rouge.

Smith opened by crediting Kiffin with restoring LSU's national relevance, saying everyone he knows connected to the program loves that Kiffin has "put LSU back on the map."

quote:

---

"Everybody that I know that comes from LSU is very, very pleased with Lane Kiffin because he's put LSU back on the map. He's made them relevant, and that is what I love.

"Now, I was scared to death, Paul, when they went down 17 to nothing. I was like this: 'Oh my God, they're getting their asses whipped. This is not good. This is not good.'

"But the second that Lane Kiffin came back and they tied it at 24, I said, 'Okay, he's good.

"If they had gotten blown out, it would have been very, very bad. But the fact that they came back and tied it... I don't think this takes anything away from Lane Kiffin."

---

Smith closed with a message to Kiffin and to Paul Finebaum, who's been far more critical:

quote:

---

"And Lane, don't change, because Paul Finebaum ain't gonna change. There's nothing you can do to change his mind about you, Lane Kiffin. There's nothing you can do. Nothing."

---

LSU looks to get back on track this Saturday against Texas A&M in Tiger Stadium. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.