Lane Kiffin is doing his best to keep the spotlight where he wants it: on LSU’s players, not on his own return to Oxford.
With No. 7 LSU set to visit No.
8 Ole Miss on Saturday, Kiffin acknowledged Monday that plenty of the attention will center on him. He just doesn’t plan to let that become the Tigers’ problem.
“I know a lot is going to be made about me, but this is about the players being prepared really well and playing really well,” Kiffin said Monday. “This is about our guys in their first SEC game. It won’t be about all the other stuff and all the other noise.”
Kiffin called the situation “an unusual situation,” but he quickly brushed away the idea that this game should turn into a personal showdown.
“But this isn’t about me. I’m not going to tackle anybody. I’m not going to throw any touchdowns.”
He made the same point when asked about framing the game as a duel with Ole Miss coach Pete Golding.
“Pete’s not gonna tackle anybody. I’m not gonna throw any touchdowns,” Kiffin said. “I used to say the same thing when we’d play coach Saban, and then he’d joke that he wouldn’t do very well in coverage at his age.”
Golding, for his part, kept the focus on the matchup itself.
“I think Ole Miss and LSU as a top-10 matchup, regardless of head coaches, is gonna be a headline,” Golding said.
Asked whether he and Kiffin still talk, Golding laughed before answering.
“From a friendship, yeah we do. From a football standpoint, we don’t share ideas,” Golding said.
The setting adds another layer beyond Kiffin’s return. He noted that this is the first time since 1962 that both teams have been ranked in the Top 10, calling it “the most relevant matchup of these teams in 64 years.”
“That’s a really neat thing,” Kiffin said.
There’s also a built-in level of familiarity on both sides. Kiffin said LSU’s knowledge of Ole Miss personnel, especially on offense, makes the week a little different, though he believes that edge could swing both ways.
“I think in this way it benefits Ole Miss more than us in the coaching way,” Kiffin said.
He compared that dynamic to his time at Alabama under Nick Saban, where hearing Saban explain what gave defenses trouble later helped Kiffin figure out concepts he could use against Alabama.
Kiffin also had a kind word for LSU defensive lineman Princewill Umanmielen, who played at Ole Miss last season.
Kiffin said Umanmielen did a great job at Ole Miss and has continued developing early this season.
“Glad he’s on our side,” Kiffin said with a laugh.
On the field, one of LSU’s biggest challenges will be Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Kiffin didn’t hide how much he respects him.
“That’s a big challenge for us,” Kiffin said. “He doesn’t make many mistakes.
A really mature quarterback. You are going to have to play really well for a long period of time.
You’re dealing with someone with a lot of maturity and big plays in big time games.”
Kiffin said LSU’s defense can’t expect Chambliss to beat himself. It will have to string together a full game of sound execution.
LSU also spent Monday morning digging into the turnover issues that showed up Saturday, with Kiffin describing them as an offense-wide problem rather than something that should be pinned on one person.
He said coaches and quarterbacks can get too much credit or too much blame when the ball gets loose. In LSU’s case, he pointed to protection issues up front and the need to get the run game going.
There were bright spots in the way LSU moved the ball, Kiffin said, but the Tigers have to finish drives better.
As for the emotion of going back to Oxford, Kiffin’s message was simple.
“Really the pressure is on them,” Kiffin said. “You get to just go play.”
Kiffin also gave an update on Ed Orgeron, saying the former LSU coach is improving after dealing with an issue that started during preseason practice.
“He’s feeling a little better,” Kiffin said. “That was a little bit scary, I won’t get into it. He means a lot to me.”
Kiffin said Orgeron is not “all the way” back yet, but is doing better.
“He means a lot to me,” Kiffin said. “We’ve been through a lot together.”
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LSU Just Exposed A Problem That Could Cost Them At Ole Miss
LSU got the result it wanted against Louisiana Tech, but the tape offered a less comfortable message heading into a much bigger test. The Tigers scored 45 points and controlled the game on the scoreboard, yet the offensive line had real trouble creating push in the middle of the run game and keeping the quarterback clean, a combination that led to five sacks and too many negative plays.
Those issues matter a lot more with Ole Miss next on the schedule. Pro Football Focus grading backed up what showed up on the field, with only two LSU starters on the offensive line finishing above a 70, and the weakest spots coming at guard and tackle. Before a trip to face a defense that can turn pressure into momentum quickly, LSU has some obvious fixing to do up front, and the margin for error only gets thinner from here. [Read more 🡒]
Ed Orgeron Is Back Around LSU But One Ole Miss Question Looms
Ed Orgeron is back around LSU, easing into his role as a special assistant for recruiting and defense after a health issue kept him away from preseason practices and the first two games of the season. Lane Kiffin said Orgeron is doing better and has been spending parts of his weekdays at the football operations building, a welcome sign for a program that has clearly missed his presence in the building.
What remains unsettled is whether Orgeron will be with the Tigers when they head to Ole Miss this week. Kiffin has not confirmed that travel plans yet, and he also did not spell out the nature of the health issue, leaving LSU with a little uncertainty even as one of its most recognizable voices gets back into the routine. [Read more 🡒]
LSU May Have Found The Mismatch This Offense Needed
For a Tigers offense still looking for a steady rhythm early in the season, LSUs 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech offered a promising answer in Trey'Dez Green. The tight end was featured more heavily in the game plan, and it showed in a performance that included six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, giving the offense a different kind of problem for defenses to sort out.
Lane Kiffin made it clear before the season that Green could be more than a complementary piece, and LSU finally leaned into that versatility in a way that mattered. If this becomes a regular part of the offense, the Tigers may have found a matchup edge that can stress coverages and create room elsewhere, even if the bigger test is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]