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

Lane Kiffin expects plenty of attention when he returns to Oxford on Saturday, but the LSU coach believes the pressure will be on Ole Miss.

Kiffin, who spent six seasons building the Rebels' program before taking over at LSU, called the matchup an unusual situation during his Monday press conference.

“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.

He also acknowledged the hostile reception he's expecting from Ole Miss fans.

“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 then pointed the pressure back toward Ole Miss.

“Really, the pressure's on them,” Kiffin said. “We won seven games last year. They won 13. They return two Heisman candidates.”

Saturday's matchup features two undefeated Top-10 teams and serves as the SEC opener for both programs.

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