The Game Everyone's Circled: Ole Miss QB Talks LSU, Lane Kiffin and Oxford Atmosphere
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin will return to Oxford on Sept. 19 for a Week 3 showdown against Ole Miss that is already shaping up as one of the most anticipated Magnolia Bowls in years.
The early-season SEC matchup at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is expected to draw ESPN’s “College GameDay” and could carry College Football Playoff implications. With Kiffin on the visiting sideline, LSU defensive coordinator Pete Golding matching up with his former boss, and multiple ex-Rebels now Tigers, the Sept. 19 game in Oxford has been circled for months by both fan bases.
As the national spotlight zeroes in on LSU–Ole Miss that third weekend of September, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss insists he has to treat it like any other regular-season game.
“Just make it a regular game,” Chambliss told 247sports at the Manning Passing Academy on the campus of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La. “I can’t let it get too big. I can’t make it be the Super Bowl or, you know, a playoff game. It’s a regular-season game. Yes, there’s probably going to be playoff implications for that game, so we just have to make sure that we’re sharp.”
Chambliss said the familiarity between the programs — from schemes to signals — will only heighten the pressure and make every snap matter.
“It’s going to be a game where it’s a full 60 minutes,” he said. “It’s going to be a full game. We know that each drive and each play is going to matter. So we just have to make sure that we’re super sharp and that whole week of preparation has to be perfect.”
Chambliss said he expects the environment to be unlike anything he has experienced.
“I’ve heard they might need the SWAT, which would be crazy, but Oxford’s going to be electric,” he said. “It’s going to be insane. It’s going to be a lot more people than it ever has been in Oxford. It’ll probably break the attendance record.”
The camp, founded by Ole Miss legend Archie Manning, annually gathers some of the nation’s top quarterbacks. This year, much of the talk around Chambliss centered on LSU — and on how different the rivalry feels with Kiffin now in Baton Rouge.
“It’s starting to get to be a pretty heated rivalry, too, so I’m excited about that,” Chambliss said.
“Lane Kiffin is at LSU now,” Chambliss said. “Coach (Charlie) Weis is at LSU now and some of our former players that were on the team last year are now at LSU.”
Despite the tension and the storylines, Chambliss said he remains grateful for the coaches who helped launch his SEC career after he transferred in from Division II powerhouse Ferris State.
“Super grateful for Coach Weis and the staff that was at Ole Miss and now is at LSU,” he said. “Kiff gave me an opportunity, gave me a shot, but yeah, I’m just super excited to kind of go against them. I’m going to give Coach Weis a big hug when I see him.”
Despite his love for Kiffin and Weis, Chambliss and Ole Miss want to prove a point when LSU comes to Oxford on Sept. 19.
