Watch Lane Kiffin React to 'Gaslighting' as Ole Miss Fans Relentlessly Boo LSU HC in New Video

LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin attempted to downplay the storyline surrounding his return to Oxford, Mississippi, prior to Saturday night's road game against Ole Miss.

Appearing Saturday morning on ESPN College GameDay via satellite, Kiffin was booed heavily by the Ole Miss faithful when shown on the screen. Despite that, Kiffin put the focus on the players who will be competing in the game between the No. 7 Tigers and No. 8 Rebels.

"It's not about me," Kiffin said. "Both teams have great players, great coaches. Have a lot of respect for their program. So, this is about the players performing really well tonight in a really awesome matchup of two top-10 teams, national game of the week. So, both programs should be really excited."

Kiffin continued by stressing the importance of focus and execution rather than getting caught up in the emotions of Saturday's game, while also making mention of College GameDay "gaslighting" the Ole Miss fans.

"Not to play on emotion. Obviously, it's going to be there," Kiffin said. "There's going to be some of it, especially for some of these coaches coming back, but most importantly, some players coming back, but to play on execution. This will be a really competitive game for a long period of time with a lot of plays. And so, you've got to really stay focused and not listen to all of the noise and all the chatter as you enter into the stadium. But thanks guys, I really appreciate you gaslighting them this morning."

Kiffin suggested he was fully aware of what to expect Saturday, and despite the vitriol being sent his way, he expressed his belief that it's a positive thing for college football.

"We just tried to do everything to simulate the game, simulate the day," Kiffin said. "Whether it's having a mock game for the Clemson game or this situation, having people heckle them just so they get used to it so they try not to react when they get into that setting today. Because there's going to be a lot of emotion all throughout the stadium, obviously. You're feeling that right now, and a lot of excitement. I look at it differently. I look at it as what an awesome thing for college football to have this game, have this much energy, have two states behind their programs like this from governors to everybody. I mean, this is college football."

Kiffin decided to spurn Ole Miss by taking the LSU head coaching job prior to last season's College Football Playoff, resulting in Ole Miss replacing him with Pete Golding, who led the Rebels to the CFP semifinals.

With Golding at the helm for his first full season as head coach, Ole Miss returns a great roster led by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy.

Meanwhile, Kiffin is looking to get LSU back on track on the heels of the Tigers going a disappointing 7-6 last season and having not reached the CFP since 2019.

LSU does look to be an entirely different team under Kiffin, as the Tigers blew out Clemson 51-10 in Week 1 and followed it up with a 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech in Week 2.

Kiffin has the LSU offense humming, as quarterback Sam Leavitt has accounted for seven total touchdowns through two games, including five on the ground.

A road game against Ole Miss and its rowdy fans will be an entirely different challenge for Kiffin and Co., though, especially since Golding is a defensive coach with an intimate knowledge of the type of offense Kiffin likes to run.

As much as Kiffin tried to deflect it, the crowd could be a very real factor in Saturday night's game as well, especially in terms of impacting LSU's ability to communicate on offense.

Regardless of the many storylines attached to the game, including Kiffin's return to Oxford, it should be a spectacular contest featuring two of the best teams in college football.

There are no guarantees for either team coming out of it whether they win or lose, but the winner will undoubtedly have a leg up when it comes to potentially vying for a berth in the SEC Championship Game and the CFP.