Lane Kiffin might be generating most of the headlines, but the LSU head coach is pointing to Ole Miss as the program with more to prove ahead of Saturday's top-10 showdown.
"The pressure is on them," Kiffin said he told his players, per On3's Wilson Alexander. "We won seven games last year. They won 13. They returned two Heisman candidates. You guys get to go play. The pressure is not on you."
Kiffin added: "I know a lot has been made about me, but this is about the players being prepared very well. I'm not gonna tackle anybody. I'm not gonna throw any touchdowns."
Kiffin will return to Oxford, Mississippi, for the first time since departing for the LSU job in November. He may not receive a warm welcome from the Rebels faithful, having brought 19 coaches and staff members, along with several former Rebels players, with him to LSU.
The polarizing head coach also drew the ire of his former school after saying in a Vanity Fair interview that some out-of-state families were reluctant to send their sons to Ole Miss due to the school's history of racial tensions. Kiffin later apologized for the remarks.
Despite the controversy, Kiffin insisted that his return to Ole Miss shouldn't overshadow a game that'll mark the Magnolia Bowl rivalry's first AP top-10 matchup since 1962.
"I know a lot is going to be made about me, but this is about the players being prepared really well and playing really well," Kiffin said, per LSU assistant director of strategic initiatives Harrison Valentine. "This is about our guys in their first SEC game. It won't be about all the other stuff and all the other noise."
The Rebels promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to replace Kiffin, and he led the team to playoff victories over Tulane and Georgia after Ole Miss denied Kiffin's request to coach through the season's end.
LSU will enter Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with a 2-0 record after a lopsided win over Clemson in its home opener and a rout against Louisiana Tech.
