Lane Kiffin shares heartwarming reason he returned to field, celebrated with fans

It would be easy for Lane Kiffin to be distracted. His name is once again coming up consistently in the head coaching search at another school, in this case, Florida. That’s amid Ole Miss trying to make a run at the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff.

Despite all of those potential distractions, Ole Miss added a major win on the road against Oklahoma, and after the game, Kiffin seemed jubilant. He’d even take some time to celebrate with those fans who made the trip from Oxford to Norman. It was a choice he’d explain after the game was a conscious one and one that has likely come with the experience he’s gained over the years.

“I just think now — I don’t like to say I’m older,” Lane Kiffin said. “Because I don’t really like to be old. Like, when I told them last night, ‘As I get older, guys, I just want to tell you things that I didn’t do and stuff, you know, that hopefully you do different.’ And, I just was always like, we go win these games and everything and get back to the locker room and it’s let’s go get on the plane. And I was like, you know, just enjoy the moment.”

Kiffin would be seen making his way to those fans and even throwing his visor into the locker room. This came after Ole Miss had just given itself a marquee win to add to a College Football Playoff resume that’s growing more convincing by the day.

“And these are hard to do. They’re hard to come by. So, everybody’s going in the locker room. So, I sent for them to come back out. I didn’t have a plan — just hey, let’s go down there and say thanks to the fans,” Kiffin said. “But also enjoy the moment, man. You’re in an iconic stadium that just won a million games here and you did something really special. So, take in the moment instead of getting to the next thing. That’s kind of what I did my whole life. So, I just tried to help them with that.”

Ole Miss jumped out to a 22-10 lead over Oklahoma and had control of the game going into halftime. That’s when the Sooners counterpunched. However, a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter was enough to send Kiffin and those Ole Miss fans home happy. Over the course of the game, Ole Miss won the turnover battle, time of possession battle, and was more efficient on both third and fourth down.

Kiffin was clearly thrilled following the game. He even took some time to jokingly chirp at Oklahoma defensive lineman David Stone, which the cameras caught as he got ready for his postgame interview.

“You’re a little quieter now than before,” Kiffin said. “… This guy yelled at me during the game, like, five times how great they were and we can’t score on them.”

Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss are going to have a few more chances at big celebrations with the fans. That includes the next three games at home. Among them is a visit from Florida, the team rumored to be interested in poaching Kiffin. First, however, the focus is going to be on South Carolina.