From OutKick · Trey Wallace · · 1m 30s
Oxford braces for Kiffin’s return
Lane Kiffin comes back to Ole Miss with LSU, and Oxford is treating it like a security event as much as a football game.
In brief
Lane Kiffin comes back to Ole Miss with LSU, and Oxford is treating it like a security event as much as a football game. Kiffin’s return has turned an already bitter Ole Miss-LSU rivalry into a high-security weekend built around crowd control. Originally reported by OutKick.
Kiffin comes back
Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford on Saturday, this time as LSU’s head coach, 10 months after leaving Ole Miss and stirring up months of anger.
“Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford is finally here.”
Not a normal game
A usual SEC weekend in Oxford means tailgates, packed bars and routine policing. This matchup carries a different charge because Kiffin is the focus.
Anger has built
Ole Miss fans have spent the offseason stewing over Kiffin storylines. The author expects that frustration to spill out before kickoff.
“the amount of vitriol that will be spewed”
Oxford planned ahead
Security plans were made months in advance. Local police, state patrol, federal law enforcement and out-of-state units will all be present.
Mounted units arrive
Mobile, Alabama, is sending crowd-control officers to Oxford. New Orleans mounted police are also expected to help around campus.
“The Mobile Police Department’s Mounted Unit will be in Oxford, MS”
LSU gets protection
Louisiana State Patrol will send more support than usual for an LSU road game, and Kiffin is expected to have heavy security around him.
Golding urges restraint
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding asked fans to be loud but respectful, leaning on the school’s reputation for hospitality toward visitors.
“Let’s not lose that over a game or a person”
Kiffin accepts the role
Kiffin said the attention and hatred aimed at him can free his players to focus on football, while shifting pressure onto Ole Miss.
“There’s going to be so much attention, hatred, everything on me.”
What to remember
Kiffin’s return has turned an already bitter Ole Miss-LSU rivalry into a high-security weekend built around crowd control.
