Lane Kiffin Comments on Bizarre Pregame Incident Involving Ole Miss Football

Kiffin and the Rebels were involved in a strange incident on Saturday, Ole Miss' shot-caller comments on the situation.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

No. 21 Ole Miss squared off against the Georgia State Panthers on Saturday night at Vaught Hemingway with the Rebels capturing a 63-7 victory to open the season.

Prior to kickoff in Oxford, a bizarre incident occurred on the field just about an hour before opening the 2025 season.

As Ole Miss began walking towards the south end-zone tunnel after navigating the Walk of Champions, Georgia State cornerback Tyler Scott approached Ole Miss EDGE Da'Shawn Womack.

Scott snatched Womack's chain and proceeded to throw it into the stands during the pregame incident.

ICYMI:

This Georgia State player found out quickly just how dumb this decision was. pic.twitter.com/RtEAbqDEZO

— Everything Ole Miss (@EverythingRebs) August 31, 2025

According to On3 Sports, "Among other details, an Ole Miss player was rumored to have snatched a towel, police officers and sixth-year Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin each had to step in, and Georgia State head coach Dell McGee benched Scott for the game."

Lane Kiffin's Take: Bizarre On All Fronts

“Yeah, that was wild,” Kiffin told reporters on Sunday night. “I happened to be right there. I mean, I’ve never seen anything like that. The guy ripped Womack’s chain off his neck and stood there, taunted him with it and threw it in the stands.

"I was like, ‘What is going on?’ So, it was wild. I thought our guys handled themselves really well. Probably better than I would have in that situation. That was crazy. I’d never seen anything like that.

“I didn’t know who the guy was at the time. He’s coming over doing that, and, I don’t know. I had some words for him. I didn’t do as well as our players did with him and some of their assistant coaches. Just complete disrespect.

“You guys hear me say all the time, ‘Everything bad is good and everything good is bad.’ So, pissed Womack off. Then he was the defensive player of the game and played amazing and played hard as he could be in the game.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

“I’ll give you a funny story. They asked [Womack] if he wanted to press charges and he said, ‘No, I’d rather let the guy play.’ But, I don’t think he played anyway, so whatever.”

Ole Miss will return to action on Saturday night in Lexington for a Southeastern Conference clash against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT.

More Ole Miss News:

Ole Miss Football Fall Camp Notes: Which Quarterback Will Backup Austin Simmons?

The Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: Ole Miss Football Comes in at No. 15

What It Means: Ole Miss Football Beats Out Michigan Wolverines for Coveted Linebacker

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.