Lane Kiffin Says LSU 'Walked Into a Storm' and Caused Slow Start in Upset Loss to Golding, Ole Miss

LSU coach Lane Kiffin chalked his team's slow start Saturday night in part to due the raucous atmosphere inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Kiffin said after the game the Tigers "walked into a storm."

"You see it all the time on the bus," he told reporters . "It's how you walk in. It's a buildup. The stadium was full an hour early. So I guess I had to leave to get them to do that."

LSU trailed 24-7 at halftime before coming back to tie the score in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss provided the decisive moment with a 14-yard touchdown run to give the home fans the ending they wanted.

The Oxford crowd made an impact early on. LSU was sluggish out of the gate, while Ole Miss scored on four of its first five possessions. Chambliss threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns by halftime.

To their credit, the Tigers were much different once the third quarter started and they shook off a three-and-out on their opening drive.

With the outcome hanging in the balance, quarterback Sam Leavitt guided the offense on a 14-play, 69-yard drive that spanned more than five minutes. LSU couldn't seal the deal as Leavitt's fourth-down pass was deflected behind the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Jaylon Braxton in the end zone.

In a time before the College Football Playoff, especially the expansion to 12 teams, Kiffin would look at Saturday's defeat a little differently. One loss might've been enough to knock his team out of the national championship race.

Instead, the Tigers know they're assured of a CFP berth if they run the table, and they can likely afford to lose another game and still finish in the top 12.

The experience they gained from playing in hostile territory should serve Kiffin's players well for the rest of the season.