Lane Kiffin on Ole Miss fan support: ‘Like a high school game playing in a college stadium’

No. 14 Ole Miss has already sold out its game against No. 7 Kentucky on Saturday, so maybe Lane Kiffin’s message about the lack of a home-field advantage at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was heard. 

Kiffin, whose team sits at 4-0 after a 35-27 win over unranked Tulsa, has not been impressed with the fan support after the Rebels’ first three home games. 

“Regardless of what you come out to before the game, or halftime when you come out and run out of the tunnel, and it looks like a high school game playing in a college stadium, you can’t let that affect you,” Kiffin said Monday at his weekly press conference. “There’s psychology to that. There’s a home-field advantage for a reason. When it goes the other way, you kind of have that feeling like, ‘Oh are we still really playing in a game here?’ The players have to fight that.” 

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The student section was relatively empty as the Rebels took the field for the second half against the Golden Hurricane, according to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.  

“We use that as a learning lesson for our guys,” Kiffin continued. “If that’s the case, that’s the case. I’m worried about what I can control. I’ve tried social media in here for two years. We’ll worry about what we can control, and that’s getting our players ready to play.”

While Kiffin was critical of the fan support following the Rebels’ Week 4 win, he has praised the culture at Ole Miss in recent weeks. 

Kiffin, who is in his third season as head coach at Ole Miss, has found a home in Oxford, Mississippi. 

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“I look at it as, you go around town, there’s so much excitement around the program, season ticket sales and everything – but I feel like I needed Oxford and Ole Miss a lot more than it needed me. I enjoy it here. It’s been awesome. It’s been really cool,” Kiffin said before the Rebels’ opening game against Troy. 

Saturday will be the first ranked game between Kentucky and Ole Miss since 1958, and the Rebels will be looking to extend their 12-game winning streak at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.