A tense moment in the sky nearly overshadowed the buildup to Saturday night’s Ole Miss-LSU matchup in Oxford, Mississippi, when a helicopter appeared to come dangerously close to an ESPN camera drone above the stadium.
ESPN had the drone in the air to capture aerial shots of the crowd before kickoff between the No. 8 Rebels and No.
7 Tigers. Then the helicopter swept by, and the footage immediately set off a wave of alarm online as viewers tried to figure out just how close the two aircraft really came to one another.
One social media user who said he was a helicopter pilot weighed in on the clip and called it unsettling. “LSU vs.
Ole Miss. Hard to judge the actual separation from this camera angle, but that helicopter and drone look too close for my comfort,” he wrote.
Others reacted with the same kind of disbelief. “I saw that and thought at first it was some CGI commercial lol,” one fan posted.
Another wrote, “I saw that. Now you are telling me it was real.
Man. Thank God nothing bad happened,” while a third asked, “Did the helicopter pilot know about this or no?
Wow, that was VERY close?”
Another fan suggested the helicopter may have been in the wrong airspace or at the wrong altitude, and also pointed out that ESPN uses strict procedures for its drones.
The scare came only days after a camera helicopter crashed in Los Angeles, killing three people, including the pilot and a reporter.
In this case, the helicopter and drone avoided contact, and the game moved on without further trouble. Ole Miss then gave its fans plenty to celebrate, beating LSU 32-24 on a game-sealing interception in the end zone.
The win carried extra weight for Ole Miss supporters against Lane Kiffin, who returned to Oxford with LSU after leaving the Rebels just before their playoff run last season.
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LSU Fans Will Have Plenty To Say About This ESPN Sideline Moment
Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge were both on the sideline for ESPN during the LSU-Ole Miss matchup, with Rowe handling injury updates and Rutledge delivering live field reports as the broadcast kept moving through a high-profile SEC night. A short clip of the handoff between the two reporters quickly made the rounds on social media, giving fans another off-field moment to dissect from a game that already had plenty of attention on it.
Rowe also ended the night on a more familiar note, conducting a postgame interview after Ole Miss beat LSU. The moment came with added context because Rowe has already been part of one of the more unusual sideline storylines of the season, when a false AI-generated video involving Texas coach Steve Sarkisian triggered public apologies from Arch Manning and Sarkisian. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Suddenly Has A Kewan Lacy Problem Again
Kewan Lacys season has become defined as much by what he cannot finish as by what he can give Ole Miss when he is on the field. The running back has already had to leave games against Louisville and LSU because of health concerns, and his latest exit came after he landed hard on his right shoulder against the Tigers and needed to be evaluated for a possible AC joint injury, stinger or clavicle issue.
For a Rebels offense that has wanted Lacy in the mix, the bigger question now is how long that uncertainty lasts. Ole Miss has been forced to lean on other backs while waiting for clarity, and with Lacys availability still unsettled, the room suddenly looks a lot thinner than the Rebels probably expected at this point in the season. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Coach Tried To Fire Up Ole Miss Fans Before Kickoff
The buildup to No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Ole Miss got an extra jolt before kickoff when Tigers running backs coach Kevin Smith went over to the home crowd during pregame warmups and made himself part of the conversation. His comments claiming credit for the best running backs to come through Ole Miss did not exactly land warmly, and Rebels fans answered the moment with a round of boos that set the tone for the night.
Ole Miss carried that edge right into the game, taking a 24-7 lead into halftime behind a strong showing from quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and a rushing touchdown from Kewan Lacy. In a matchup that already carried plenty of weight in the SEC race, the Rebels had both the score and the atmosphere tilted their way early. [Read more 🡒]