The most highly anticipated college football game of the season is too hostile an occasion for ESPN’s Stephen A Smith to attend.
No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss will renew their rivalry in the 115th edition of the Magnolia Bowl. But in the 132-year history of the competition, this may be the most heated matchup ever.
Lane Kiffin is set to return to Oxford, Mississippi, for the first time since he abandoned the Rebels prior to their appearance in last year’s College Football Playoff.
Weeks before Ole Miss took part in the postseason, Kiffin left for Baton Rouge to take the helm with the Tigers.
Naturally, this game has been circled on the calendars of Ole Miss fans for months and is expected to draw a strong response from police to control the vitriol of fans.
With this in mind, Smith revealed that the animosity was too intense for him to consider traveling south for the occasion.
Stephen A. Smith says he rejected the chance to attend this weekend’s LSU-Ole Miss game
This weekend’s matchup is set to be the first game back in Oxford for Lane Kiffin after he abandoned Ole Miss before their College Football Playoff appearance to bolt for LSU
‘I was supposed to be going down there,’ Smith said Thursday afternoon on his Mad Dog Sports Radio show for SiriusXM. ‘You know what? That’s what TVs are for. I ain’t going.
‘They’re talking about heightened security, they’re talking about people having to wear bulletproof vests, they’re talking about the venom and hostility that’s gonna be aimed in his direction. They’re talking about some wild stuff that’s gonna go down there at Ole Miss this weekend.
‘I want to state for the record, let’s be safe y’all. Let’s not engage in any kind of violence… Let’s make sure ladies and gentlemen that we’re all legit and aligned with that level of thinking.
‘You can spew venom in Lane Kiffin’s direction and that of the players who represent him, you can boo the hell out of them. You can heckle them to death. Just don’t do nothing violent.’
When a fan mentioned the potential for Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to turn into a ‘powder keg,’ Smith responded: ‘That’s why I’m not going.’
‘I am not trying to find myself in that mayhem,’ he continued. It would be one thing if I was going down with my buddies at College GameDay.
‘But I would be going down there on my own… and I’m not taking that chance.’
School and state authorities are preparing for poor behavior from fans through the weekend
Authorities are already preparing for the worst from fans and have taken precautions ahead of the matchup.
On Thursday, the school announced that the purple and gold colors of LSU would be banned from a specific part of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
‘Effective immediately, no person wearing an opposing team’s gear or colors will be allowed entrance into the student section,’ read a statement sent to students. ‘Additionally, anyone found to be wearing opposing team apparel or colors in the student section will be removed.’
The school is also constructing a fence around the area where the visiting team buses are arriving at the stadium on game day, according to On3.
In addition to the measures from the school, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety announced that ‘an advanced law enforcement presence’ would be in Oxford for the game – including the largest deployment of the Mississippi Highway Patrol ever used for a college football game.
‘This weekend will bring a significant number of visitors to Oxford, and our priority is making sure everyone can enjoy the game and surrounding events safely,’ MDPS commissioner Sean Tindell said in a statement. ‘This enhanced presence is about being prepared, staying proactive, and working together.’
Tensions over this game have been simmering for months. During an Ole Miss-LSU baseball game last April, Mississippi students confronted an LSU fan – with punches being thrown.
