The Biggest Decision Lane Kiffin Got Wrong Against Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin and his staff made a decision last week about how they would approach Ole Miss in their game plan.

And in the first half, it was clear to everyone watching that LSU had done something it shouldn't have.

A 24-7 deficit at half sent LSU to the locker room with a lot of questions to ask of its then-ranked No. 1 defense.

LSU did answer the questions, but the initial game plan was something Kiffin and his staff swung and missed on in Oxford.

An Unrecognizable LSU Defense

Ole Miss tight end Caleb Odom (4) stiff arms LSU safety Tamarcus Cooley (0) during a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

LSU's defense rolled out in the first half and showed immediately that it was there and ready for the challenge of facing one of the country's best quarterbacks, Trinidad Chambliss.

But after that drive and a three-and-out from LSU's offense, Ole Miss scored on its next four consecutive drives, putting up 304 total yards and 24 points in that four-drive span.

That stretch of the game featured an LSU defense that no one expected to see. And not just on a performance level. The scheme felt uncharacteristic as well.

Kiffin had said LSU's goal was to keep Chambliss and Ole Miss in front of them, and it did, but too much. It gave up a lot of underneath routes while sitting in certain coverages

The defensive struggles there were more byproducts of Ole Miss' ability to draw up coverage-beating plays than LSU being as sloppy as the game initially read.

Despite Ole Miss' effective game plan, LSU was still in soft coverage for a majority of the first half, allowing underneath play consistently and not pressuring Chambliss enough.

A Week 1 Problem Lingers

Tigers Head Coach Lane Kiffin, LSU Tigers take on the Clemson Tigers. September 5, 2026; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

What didn't help LSU was the injury to Dashawn Spears.

Spears, as Kiffin put it, will be a tough loss this season.

As Spears went out Saturday, LSU rolled out CJ Jimcoily, the second option at the star position for LSU. But Jimcoily showed his inexperience, allowing a couple of plays sneak by him in coverage with simple mistakes like missing his assignment.

In the second half, LSU sent Jhase Thomas to safety and moved TaMarcus Cooley to the star position to relieve Jimcoily and that seemed to work a little better for LSU.

But that's exactly the situation Kiffin said he wanted to see his team prepared for after LSU's second-team defense let up a late-game touchdown to Clemson in Week 1.

The Push Up Front

LSU was solid up front. But solid doesn't win SEC games. That was the lesson the defensive line learned Saturday.

LSU did a great job of limiting Kewan Lacy and Chambliss' ability to run efficiently all night long. But it struggled when it needed to find stops in the running game.

LSU did enough up front to slow the running game and gain some control of the game, limiting Ole Miss to just 2.5 yards per carry.

But Ole Miss dominated LSU on third-and-short and fourth-and-short situations to pick up key first downs.

Overall, though, it's unfair to say LSU got bullied up front defensively, but the Rebels did have enough push to get what they needed when they needed it.

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