Louisiana governor hopes for 'Southern hospitality' when Lane Kiffin returns to Ole Miss with LSU

LSU visiting Ole Miss would likely have been considered the top matchup for Week 3 of the college football season with the Tigers ranked No. 7 and the Rebels right behind them at No. 8 in the AP Top 25 poll .

But Saturday's game also comes with a significant dose of intrigue and potential drama with Lane Kiffin returning to Oxford, Mississippi after leaving Ole Miss for LSU before the end of last season .

How Kiffin will be greeted by Rebels fans is the great question leading up to Saturday night's SEC clash. Some are even concerned that the tensions could get out of hand with outraged fans wanting to lash out at Kiffin.

Included among those is Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. Well, sort of. While he acknowledged that feelings will surely be heightened, the governor joked about what measures might be necessary to ensure the safety of Kiffin and the LSU football team .

"I'm thinking about having to send him in on an F-16 and maybe the team on a C-130," Landry said to 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."

Presumably on a more serious note. Landry added that he's spoken with officials at Ole Miss to ensure that the atmosphere in and around Oxford's Vaught–Hemingway Stadium is safe for LSU.

"I know that we've been talking with Mississippi and making sure that we have adequate security for the team and coach," Landry continued. "But I'm hoping that we can go there and play in complete Southern hospitality and have a great, great game."

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, who was the Rebels' defensive coordinator before Kiffin left for LSU, also pleaded for calm and reason from fans on Saturday.

"Be there early and be loud," Golding said at his weekly press conference . "That's the one thing to me about Oxford, the first thing you talk about is the people there. Let's not lose that over a game, over a person or anything else like that." "There's nothing wrong with being competitive, being in the moment, being really loud and being an unbelievable fan," he added. "At the end of the day, don't lose what we've created. And what they've created for so long, which is a unique place with really, really good people where it's really hard to play."

"Be there early and be loud," Golding said at his weekly press conference . "That's the one thing to me about Oxford, the first thing you talk about is the people there. Let's not lose that over a game, over a person or anything else like that."

"There's nothing wrong with being competitive, being in the moment, being really loud and being an unbelievable fan," he added. "At the end of the day, don't lose what we've created. And what they've created for so long, which is a unique place with really, really good people where it's really hard to play."

Golding also cautioned his players against wanting to beat their former coach and perhaps show him he made a mistake in leaving for Baton Rouge.

"It's like high school homecoming, for these dudes," he said . "You focus on the wrong s***, that homecoming dance ain't very fun after you get your butt beat on a Friday night."

Kickoff for LSU at Ole Miss is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night and will be televised on ABC.