Lane Kiffin Humbled The Salty Tennessee Fans Who Fought Over His Visor

Ole Miss Lane Kiffin Tennessee Locker Room Golf Ball Celebration Savage

Joshua McCoy / @OleMissPix / Ole Miss Athletics

  • Ole Miss football went into Knoxville and beat Tennessee after a chaotic finish.
  • As Lane Kiffin left the field, he flipped the angry Volunteer fans his visor and they fought over who would get it.
  • In response to the irony, Kiffin put them in their place.
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Lane Kiffin’s return to Tennessee on Saturday was absolute mayhem. Despite the utter chaos that unfolded in the closing minutes of the Ole Miss win, Kiffin soaked up every moment and had a subtly savage response to the salty Volunteer fans.

The day got started when the 46-year-old head coach showed up in style.

You see, Kiffin is considered a “traitor” in Knoxville. He was hired as the head coach of the Volunteers in 2009 and left after one season to take the USC job.

Sorry ’bout it! *shrugs*

He had returned to Neyland Stadium once prior, but it was as the offensive coordinator for Alabama. After the Crimson Tide put a 49-10 beatdown on the Vols, Kiffin flipped his visor to the crowd on his way into the tunnel.

On Saturday, in Kiffin’s first game at Neyland since 2009 as a head coach, he did it again. This time, however, it came under unusual circumstances.

After a potentially poor spot on a 4th-down attempt by Tennessee, the Volunteer faithful showed their true colors. Fans showered the Ole Miss sideline with trash, threw all kinds of items onto the field, and even hit Kiffin with a golf ball.

A 20-minute stoppage delayed the inevitable and the Rebels went on to win 31-26. On his way into the locker room, as the boos and debris rained down upon him, Kiffin made an incredible one-handed grab with a water bottle.

He also, again, flipped his visor to the crowd.

The fans in reach of the visor — who had just booed Kiffin, cursed in his direction, and threw things at him — went all-out to try and haul it in. Ironic, no?

Kiffin, who spoke with ESPN about the disorderly Vols fans and the evening as a whole, had a perfect response to the irony. He thinks it’s hilarious.

“The Tennessee fans there at the tunnel were all going, ‘F— you. F— you,’ so I throw them my visor … and they all start fighting over it,” Kiffin told ESPN. “Maybe all of them don’t hate me.”

He also took the high road about the visor toss on Twitter. Perhaps there was a hint of sarcasm.

Kiffin also spoke about the consistent middle fingers from UT fans to ESPN. He has the perfect response to those unruly fans and their gesture.

“There were a lot of people saying, ‘You’re No. 1’ [holding up middle finger],” he said to ESPN. “I would said, ‘Hey, thank you.'”

There’s nobody like Lane Kiffin and he has Ole Miss out to its best start since 2015. The 6-1 Rebels will host the LSU Tigers on Saturday and Kiffin’s reception will be just a little bit warmer in Oxford.