Lane Kiffin Confronts Reporter, Beats Mississippi State, And Now Must Pick LSU Or Ole Miss

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The saga surrounding Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin came to a head on Saturday afternoon, as the Rebels took to the field in Starkville for their clash with Mississippi State, defeating the Bulldogs 38–19.

Was this the final time Kiffin would be running out of a tunnel with an Ole Miss football team?

That will be decided on Saturday morning in a meeting with athletics director Keith Carter, where the head coach will finally make a call on where he will be residing next season. It’s past time for this whole ordeal to come to an end, as rumors have run rampant for the past four weeks.

Following the win over Mississippi State, Kiffin made his way around the field to soak in the moment with Ole Miss players, while also taking off his own belt to symbolize the "belt to ass" mantra that’s been running around Oxford after wins.

Then it was the awkward scene where Kiffin decided he wanted to take out some frustration on an Ole Miss reporter, who earlier this week referenced the entire situation as "Can’t turn a hoe into a housewife," which is a Ludacris reference.

Before heading to the locker room, Lane made sure to find OM Spirit reporter Ben Garrett, where the Ole Miss head coach took an awkward stance.

"You wanna walk in here and call me a hoe," Kiffin said. "We’ll see how it goes."

Turns out, this was just the beginning of what would turn into an open conversation Lane Kiffin had with the around thirty reporters tucked inside the visiting media room. 

If anything, you could tell this entire ordeal had finally caught up with the Rebels coach — seeking out a reporter following the game, while making sure to point out that this entire situation was based on outside noise.

I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen something like this, but I’m also not surprised by it one bit. This has officially reached a very uncomfortable level, no matter what transpires on the field.

The one thing that was crystal clear entering this Egg Bowl centered around the Florida Gators.

Lane Kiffin had essentially stopped communicating with the Gators’ brass, leaving it to his reps to handle any type of back-channeling. After a meeting in Louisiana between both parties, it was obvious that the Gators would have to move in a different direction.

It was not going to be Kiffin, but potentially someone like Jon Sumrall, though the Tulane coach was also being courted by Ole Miss and even Auburn.

Standing on the field as he was about to lead his team for what could have been the final time, Kiffin looked like a man ready to finish the job. Unfortunately, that might not come in Oxford, given the current circumstances around his meeting with AD Keith Carter on Saturday.

What we do know is that Kiffin has taken his name out of the running at Florida, while Tulane’s Jon Sumrall has made it known he’s highly interested in the Florida job. Two coaches going in different directions. 

This obviously puts Auburn in a spot, seeing that AD John Cohen had made a very hard run at Sumrall over the past few weeks. In the meantime, Sumrall has spoken with Ole Miss, though it will end up being too late for the Rebels, as Florida looks to bring this one home for a landing by Sunday morning.

In some form or fashion, we are about to get answers on three different jobs within the next 24 hours, and it might not even take that long.

Kiffin is mulling an offer from both the Rebels and Tigers, and judging by his past actions, I think it’s pretty obvious he knows what’s coming. If Ole Miss had lost on Friday, the fans would have sent him packing before nightfall. 

Lane Kiffin Has Decision To Make. Will Rely On Nick Saban

It was following the game that things turned toward his upcoming choice. Whether it’s LSU or Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin has a big choice to make regarding his future.

In his postgame press conference, Kiffin made it a point to say he would be reaching out to Nick Saban and Pete Carroll for advice, since his father is no longer around.

You could tell this was an emotional moment for the Ole Miss head coach, no matter what he decides to do on Sunday.

Either way, we find ourselves at a fork in the road, and all sides need a decision — like yesterday. There is no more debating whether he’s sticking around for the College Football Playoff. That’s not happening if he leaves Oxford. 

Sure, Florida could wait around for Jon Sumrall, because the Tulane coach is not a rival school in the same conference. Yes, there is a massive difference.

There was a weird presence in the air as I watched Ole Miss fans celebrate, with I’m sure most of them feeling a bit torn about what could lie ahead.

This is now out of the hands of anyone other than Lane Kiffin, which is exactly how it’s been from the start.

Now, the fate of two schools hangs in the balance. On a chilly afternoon in Starkville, if only for three hours, Ole Miss fans were able to enjoy an afternoon of football without thinking about what could happen with the head coach.

The Egg Bowl lived up to the hype — but for all sorts of different reasons.