Ole Miss Tops No. 7 LSU 32-24 in Lane Kiffin's Return to Oxford

OXFORD, Miss. — No. 8 Ole Miss beat No. 7 LSU 32-24 on Saturday night in Lane Kiffin's first game back in Oxford since leaving the Rebels for Baton Rouge last November, a result that moved Pete Golding's team to 3-0 and handed the Tigers their first loss of the season.

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 14-yard run in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Traylon Ray caught seven passes for 115 yards and a score. Chambliss accounted for three total touchdowns and converted a two-point try after his run to put Ole Miss ahead by eight.

The Rebels led 24-7 at halftime before LSU scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to tie the game at 24. After Chambliss' go-ahead drive, the Tigers moved the ball into scoring range but could not convert on fourth-and-goal, sealing Ole Miss' first SEC win of the year.

Kiffin, who spent six seasons at Ole Miss before departing for LSU ahead of last season's College Football Playoff, was booed throughout and had to be escorted back to the locker room. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter had required Kiffin to either finish the season with the Rebels and return in 2026 or leave before the playoff; Golding was promoted to head coach after the exit. In his postgame news conference, Golding name-dropped Chancellor Glenn Boyce and Carter.

I think Glenn Boyce and Keith Carter might have a beer tonight, I know that.

— Pete Golding, Ole Miss head coach

Kiffin on an emotional return

Kiffin was asked afterward about his own feelings on the night and whether the loss might close the book on Ole Miss fans' frustration. "I'm sure I'll be criticized for saying that, but, yeah, I am," he said. "I was thinking that all week, especially today, and I would have said that in a win or a loss. You know, that was really emotional driving in on the buses for a lot of reasons." Before kickoff, The Grove filled with homemade signs aimed at the coach, and a plane circled overhead pulling a banner reading "DADDY'S HOME GEAUX TIGERS."

The defeat carried postseason consequences for LSU. According to PFN's CFB Playoff Meter, the Tigers' playoff chances fell from 73.8% to 59.9%, while their odds of reaching the SEC championship game dropped from 30.5% to 15.4%. LSU, now 2-1, hosts Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 26.

For Chambliss, a former zero-star recruit who began his career at Division II Ferris State and arrived at Ole Miss as an expected backup, the win extended a rise that began when he took over as the starter in the third game of last season. The reigning SEC Newcomer of the Year is the current Heisman Trophy favorite and sits sixth at +1500 in odds to be the first overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft, behind Arch Manning, Dante Moore, C.J. Carr, Darian Mensah and Jeremiah Smith. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 24 years old in his sixth college season, he remains an unconventional prospect. Rebels lineman William Echoles offered a broader verdict on the program after the game, saying of Golding, "It's his program now."