Ole Miss bans LSU gear and colors from student section for Saturday's clash, Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford

Is Ole Miss being proactive or overreactive before Saturday's widely anticipated matchup with LSU and the return of head coach Lane Kiffin to Oxford?

The reception by Rebels fans toward their former coach who spurned them before the end of last season presents an intriguing backdrop for a game that was already meaningful with the Nos. 7 and 8 teams in this week's AP Top 25 facing each other.

Fearing any possible incidents among fans or outbursts directed at Kiffin and the LSU team, Ole Miss is taking steps to prevent anything untoward. On Thursday, the school announced that fans would not be allowed to wear the "opposing team's gear or colors" in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for Saturday's game.

"Effective immediately, no person wearing an opposing team's gear or colors will be allowed entrance into the student section," read a statement sent to students by the Ole Miss athletic department ( via Tyler Komis on X ). "Additionally, anyone found to be wearing opposing team apparel or colors in the student section will be removed."

"Effective immediately, no person wearing an opposing team's gear or colors will be allowed entrance into the student section," read a statement sent to students by the Ole Miss athletic department ( via Tyler Komis on X ).

"Additionally, anyone found to be wearing opposing team apparel or colors in the student section will be removed."

Another measure Ole Miss has taken is building a fence around the area where the visiting team buses arrive at the stadium on gameday, according to On3's Pete Nakos .

These two initiatives follow Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry joking that extraordinary measures could be taken to protect Kiffin and the LSU team during their trip to Oxford.

"I'm thinking about having to send him in on an F-16 and maybe the team on a C-130," Landry told ESPN's Mark Schlabach . "Security is going to be really tight. You know, we might need the National Guard out there to protect our team. I think it's going to be an interesting weekend."

Landry added that his office has talked to Ole Miss officials about ensuring proper security for the LSU contingent. He expressed his hope that "Southern hospitality" would prevail in the stadium on Saturday night.

In yet another proactive step, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety announced that "an enhanced law enforcement presence" would be in Oxford for Saturday's game. That will incude the largest deployment of the Mississippi Highway Patrol ever used for a college football game, according to MDPS commissioner Sean Tindell.

"This weekend will bring a significant number of visitors to Oxford, and our priority is making sure everyone can enjoy the game and surrounding events safely," Tindell said in a statement . "This enhanced presence is about being prepared, staying proactive, and working together."

Perhaps previewing what Mississippi and school authorities are attempting to prevent, tensions flared up in April at a baseball game in Oxford between Ole Miss students and an LSU fan during which punches were thrown, according to the Clarion Ledger .

ESPN's "College GameDay" will broadcast from Oxford on Saturday morning with actor Morgan Freeman (an Ole Miss fan) selected as the show's guest picker. Kickoff for LSU at Ole Miss is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night and will be televised on ABC.