Abby Miller didn’t just catch a huge Ole Miss moment last Saturday. She caught the image that turned Jaylon Braxton’s interception into the defining snapshot of Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford.
The Rebels’ 32-24 win over LSU came down to Braxton picking off Sam Leavitt’s two-point conversion try, a play that would have forced overtime. In the chaos that followed, Braxton pointed toward Kiffin on the LSU sideline, and Miller, a 20-year-old Ole Miss junior and sports photography intern in the athletics department, was there to freeze it.
Miller, who also ran track and cross country, said she got into photography in high school. Before her junior year, she applied for a media running camp, which led to opportunities at Montgomery Bell Academy.
By senior year, she was shooting most major sports on campus. When she started the process of applying to Ole Miss, she reached out to former athletics department photography head Josh McCoy.
She has worked as an intern for Ole Miss since the winter of 2025.
“I cold emailed him [McCoy] and I was like, 'Hey, I really want to work for Ole Miss when I get here. I really want to take photos. I would love to meet with you when I'm here on my tour.'"
On game day, Miller said she left her apartment at 12:30 to arrive between 1:30 and 1:45. From there, she shot in The Grove, then moved to warmups from above on the side facing the student section before heading down to the field for the national anthem and the tunnel runout.
Oxford was packed long before kickoff. Miller described The Grove as “just insane,” with heat, crowds and barely any room to move. It took her 10 to 15 minutes to get through the Walk of Champions because of everything happening around her.
She also said the weekend had its share of tension, but not only that.
“There was a lot of kindness going on too. From Ole Miss people, even from some LSU fans.
Giving me water, giving me ice to put down my back with the heat. But there was definitely a lot of tension, especially in the stadium.”
When the decisive play unfolded, Miller was positioned at the top of the student section.
“I saw it coming when I saw [Sam] Leavitt throw the ball, and the way it went, I was at the very top of the student section, which is pretty big. It was crazy, it was rowdy, but that was my assignment from my boss.”
What she didn’t realize in the moment was just how big the shot would become.
“The funny part is, with the photo I actually got that went viral, I didn't even realize that I took it until the next day, because I didn't even realize that moment quite literally happened, because I was so focused on getting them celebrating. I didn't even realize the whole picture that was going on.”
She said she snapped a photo on her phone and texted her boss: “No way!”
Miller said the lesson she’s taken from shooting at Ole Miss is simple: stay ready.
“I've learned at Ole Miss is be prepared for anything at any time. When you're taking sports photos, you can't just kind of half do it.
Like you have to be fully locked [in] when you're taking it. You need to be able to predict almost what is going to happen.
Like what play is coming? What might they do?
I mean, I think that's one reason I've had success is that I really understand football and the sport itself.”
“It’s just a lot of understanding the athletes and how they work that goes into it. And also just being at the right place at the right time.
That's a lot of the magic as well. A lot of it is just luck that you're in a certain position and you're able to get that.”
The reaction to the photo has reached well beyond Ole Miss.
“Not just Ole Miss fans, but I've seen Georgia fans, I've seen LSU fans, I've seen people from England and Ireland who have just commented saying how much they love this photo and how great it is.”
For Miller, that response is the point.
“Just the fact that I'm able to use my platform and that I was able to capture a photo that everyone has loved so much is genuinely why I take photos. I started taking photos because I love that I'm able to capture these moments for these people that they can remember and look back on and that [it] just means something to them. That's why I love photography, especially sports photography.”
Her advice to younger photographers is straightforward.
“Work hard, ask for constructive constructive criticism and be willing to take it. There are photographers who are young who can get really caught up in all of it.
The best thing you can do is be humble and ask for feedback. Because if you don't ask for that and ask for constructive criticism, you're never going to get better.”
As for where she wants to shoot next, Miller has one place in mind: “I would love to go to Eugene, Oregon, and take photos at Hayward Field.”
In Other News...
LSU Suddenly Has A Whit Weeks Problem It Couldn't Afford
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Weeks has dealt with ankle injuries in previous seasons, so the scene naturally raised more concern than the average in-game exit. The Tigers do not yet know how severe this latest issue is, leaving LSU to wait and see whether one of its most important defenders will be available going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Just Gave LSU Fans Another Reason To Be Frustrated
Trinidad Chambliss gave LSU plenty to think about in Ole Miss 32-24 win, and Lane Kiffin had no trouble explaining why. The former LSU target carved up the Tigers through the air and added a late rushing score, looking every bit like the kind of dual-threat quarterback that can tilt a game when the pressure rises. For LSU fans still sorting through a frustrating result, hearing Kiffin praise the very player he once recruited to Oxford only adds another layer to the storyline.
Chambliss, a sixth-year senior, has already become one of those quarterbacks who seems to keep finding his way back into the biggest moments. He helped Ole Miss reach the playoffs before getting another year of eligibility through legal proceedings, and his latest outing only reinforced how difficult he can be to handle. For LSU, the loss stings on its own, but the broader reminder is hard to ignore: the Rebels had a quarterback in control, and Kiffin sounded like a coach who knew it all along. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Just Got A Notable Vote Of Confidence At LSU
With LSU coming off a rough SEC opener and Texas A&M dealing with its own early setback, the upcoming matchup already had the feel of a measuring stick game. It got a little more interesting when SEC Network host Peter Burns publicly leaned toward the Aggies, pointing to Marcell Reeds past success against LSU and the Tigers offensive concerns as the reasons for his pick.
For LSU fans, the prediction lands as one more reminder that this is not just another conference game, especially with both teams trying to steady themselves after losses that shaped the first stretch of league play. Burns vote of confidence in Texas A&M adds an extra layer of intrigue, and it also puts a sharper spotlight on whether LSU can answer the questions that have followed its offense into this one. [Read more 🡒]