LSU football news: How Pete Golding, Lane Kiffin greeted each other before Ole Miss clash

All love before the game between Lane Kiffin and Pete Golding 🙌 pic.twitter.com/t3C7Cj5K6V

Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 19, 2026

Of course, the competitive nature of both men and their teams came out from there. Plus Golding handed Rebel fans what they hoped: Ole Miss burying the Tigers right away. The home team rolled to a 10-0 early lead during the second quarter.

Running back Kewan Lacy scored the lone touchdown of the first quarter, busting through the Tigers’ defense for a five-yard touchdown. Lacy became one of the notable Rebel stars who opted to stay in Oxford amid Kiffin’s controversial exit. Same with Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who even needed to fight for his eligibility before this season.

Kiffin rose as Oxford’s newest most hated figure. The verbose and polarizing coach put together a season for the ages with the Rebels in producing a College Football Playoff team. LSU underwent an abrupt coaching change midseason by firing Brian Kelly.

However, rival LSU started to court Kiffin and offered him a massive $90 million contract. Kiffin eventually accepted the deal, despite hoping to finish out coaching the Rebels. So Golding immediately entered the picture as head coach during the postseason run, guiding an appearance to the semifinal round.

LSU and Ole Miss entered Vaught-Hemingway Stadium ranked inside the top 10. But it’s Golding’s Rebels looking like top five material early on.

Related: Kewan Lacy heads to locker room after concerning shoulder injury in Ole Miss vs. LSU

Related: Texas A&M star Marcel Reed shares urgent message after crushing loss to Kentucky