Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin spent their respective Thursdays moving on from their ugly recent split in dramatic fashion.
While the ex-Rebels football coach was showered with applause at a women’s basketball game at his new school, Louisiana State, his former players were 80 miles down the road in New Orleans, beating No. 3 Georgia with a last-minute kick in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
A last-second safety would push the score to 39-34 as Ole Miss improved to 13-1 to set up a Fiesta Bowl matchup with No. 10 Miami on January 8 in Glendale, Arizona.
Kiffin famously abandoned the Rebels to accept a seven-year, $91 million deal in Baton Rouge back on November 30 as Ole Miss was preparing for its first College Football Playoff berth. The 50-year-old coach said he’d hoped to continue coaching Ole Miss throughout the postseason, but was denied that chance by the school amid widespread criticism of Kiffin.
Since then, Kiffin has been persona non grata in Oxford, Mississippi, while his replacement, former defensive coordinator Pete Golding, led the Rebels to a first-round victory over Tulane in the CFP and Thursday’s victory over Georgia.
Despite the criticism of Kiffin’s departure among Ole Miss fans, he was rumored to be attending the Sugar Bowl until Thursday morning. On3’s Chris Low reported Kiffin was hoping to appear on ESPN’s broadcast, but the network was reluctant to agree. An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on the situation when contacted by the Daily Mail.
Kewan Lacy #5 of the Ole Miss Rebels runs the ball after a catch against Elijah Griffin #90 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Sugar Bowl in New Orleans
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey, right, brings head football coach Lane Kiffin out onto the court in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kentucky in Baton Rouge
Harrison Wallace III #2 of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2025 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
In the end, Kiffin opted to stay in Baton Rouge, where he and Lady Tigers coach Kim Mulker walked onto the court together, hand in hand.
‘He was very gracious to come over here and let the LSU fans acknowledge him,’ Mulkey said after LSU fell 80-78 to SEC rival, Kentucky. ‘They have the [college football transfer] portal opening tomorrow, so I know he’s working. I appreciated him coming.’
Despite the friction between himself and Ole Miss, Kiffin still gave a shoutout to his former quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, who completed 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns. Kiffin kept it succinct and somewhat cryptic, simply posting the flag of Trinidad and Tobago on X.
Ole Miss fans weren’t very receptive to the gesture.
‘I bet you feel real stupid you f***ing idiot,’ one irate critic responded. ‘You’ve got it coming next year.’
Kiffin earned $9 million per season at Ole Miss, but defected to LSU for a seven-year deal that will pay him an average of $13 million a season while also getting assurances that the Tigers will have ample financial backing to pay for talent.
In his absence, Ole Miss’ historic seasons has continued without missing a beat.
Trinidad Chambliss passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns and Lucas Carneiro kicked his third field goal of the game with 6 seconds left for Thursday’s win. In an unusual twist, the Ole Miss was awarded a safety on its final kickoff when Georgia’s return team tried a cross-field lateral that hit the pylon.
Head coach Pete Golding of the Ole Miss Rebels walks onto the field after a Gatorade shower
Luke Hasz #9 of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown with Trace Bruckler #85 during the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs. Ole Miss now moves on to the semifinals
Georgia then recovered an onside kick and ran one more play in which they executed numerous laterals before the play fizzled, sending Ole Miss (13-1, CFP No. 6 seed) on to a semifinal against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
Kicking off on the heels of two lopsided CFP quarterfinals at the Orange and Rose bowls, the Sugar Bowl provided drama until the end.
After seeing a 21-12 halftime lead turn into a 34-24 deficit with 9:02 to play, Georgia (12-2, CFP No. 3 seed) then rallied to tie it, first driving for Gunner Stockton’s 18-yard TD pass to Zachariah Branch before Peyton Woodring’s short field goal tied it with 55 seconds left in regulation.
Chambliss responded by setting up the winning kick with a 40-yard pass to De’Zhaun Stribling on third down from Mississippi’s own 30-yard line. A few plays later, Carneiro, who’d already broken Sugar Bowl records with field goals of 55 and 56 yards, hit from 47 and sprinted triumphantly toward the Ole Miss sideline as the Rebels (13-1, CFP No. 6 seed) jubilantly swarmed around him.
