'Their Super Bowl,' Lane Kiffin Talks LSU's Loss to Ole Miss in Revenge Game

It's safe to say Ole Miss and its fans circled the showdown with Lane Kiffin and LSU on their calendar heading into the 2026 season.

On Wednesday, Kiffin told reporters last Saturday's 32-24 victory for the Rebels over his Tigers was "their Super Bowl" seeing how he left the program last season ahead of the College Football Playoff to take over at LSU.

"If it wasn't for the name, Ole Miss, and if it was more of a traditional name that we were playing, we hadn't coached at before, how would everybody be feeling if, in your third game of your first year of a program, you went to Ohio State and came all the way back?" Kiffin asked. "The quarterback didn't play very—ours (Sam Leavitt) didn't play very well, and theirs played lights out. I'm sure after three games, he would be named the Heisman winner.

"So, I think when you look at it that way and say, 'OK, man, their Super Bowl, then all the stuff around it, all the energy in the stadium, everything, and we're right there at the end with multiple chances to win the game.' We got to learn from that and finish when we're in that type of situation again."

LSU Tigers - Ole Miss Rebels Highlights

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Kiffin may have been taking a jab at Ole Miss when he said it was its "Super Bowl," but it was about as hyped as a regular season game can be in college football.

ESPN's College GameDay was there in advance of the game, there was enhanced security from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the showdown set the college football attendance record in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (70,033 fans).

Kiffin's departure from Ole Miss was filled with drama, as he wanted to remain with the Rebels and coach them through the CFP but was not permitted. Instead, he left for LSU and watched from afar as his old team reached the semifinals.

The crowd greeted the program's former coach with the raucous environment one would have expected. Kiffin even told reporters his team "walked into a storm," which was apparent when the Rebels jumped out to a 24-7 lead in the first half.

To LSU's credit, it settled in during the second half and scored 17 unanswered points to tie the game at 24.

That is when Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss took over and capped off a 13-play, 75-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown run that proved to be the winner. Ole Miss picked off Leavitt on the ensuing possession, which set off a celebration throughout the stadium.

It also seemed to set off some trolling from the Ole Miss players:

Kiffin may have been doing some trolling of his own with the Super Bowl comment, but bragging rights belong to the Rebels after Saturday.

And things don't get much easier for his LSU team moving forward, as it still has challenging games against Texas, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas A&M as it attempts to bounce back from the most recent loss.