Lane Kiffin suggested this week that Ole Miss game operations staff kept music playing too long at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium during LSU’s loss to the Rebels, a game played in Oxford, Mississippi, that marked Kiffin’s first return to the school since leaving for LSU.
Speaking on Wednesday’s SEC coaches’ teleconference call, Kiffin was asked about quarterback Sam Leavitt’s struggles in the contest and pointed to the in-stadium atmosphere as a factor.
“Those games happen, and a lot of factors go into that,” Kiffin said. “We didn’t protect really well around him [quarterback Sam Leavitt]; the crowd noise and music being played all the way through the snap when the center’s hand is on the ball. Again and again.”
SEC rules require stadium music to stop once the center touches the ball. Kiffin’s comment, delivered three days after the game, did not amount to a formal complaint against the loss, but it raised the question of whether Ole Miss’ game-day operations followed the conference’s audio rules during LSU’s offensive snaps.
The matchup drew heavy attention in part because of Kiffin’s history with the program. He left Ole Miss for LSU just days before the Rebels played in their first-ever College Football Playoff game, and his return to Oxford in Week 3 produced what was described as one of the most emotionally charged atmospheres in recent college football memory. Ole Miss announced during the game that it had set a new attendance record at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, with 70,033 fans in the stands.
Ole Miss built an early lead, going up 17-0 in the second quarter and taking a 24-7 advantage into halftime behind quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who finished with 363 passing yards. LSU rallied with 17 unanswered points, but Chambliss again proved decisive late, and the Rebels held on for a 32-24 win. Leavitt threw for 158 yards and added 63 rushing yards for LSU.
