Ole Miss Football's Lane Kiffin Details Rowdy Tennessee Volunteers Stadium Atmosphere

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Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has been on the sidelines in the Southeastern Conference for years with the chance to take part in some of the most electric atmospheres in college football.
One stadium stands out from the rest as being the "most majestic," according to Kiffin, after seeing firsthand the rowdy fanbase in Neyland Stadium
During an appearance on This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von, Kiffin detailed what makes Knoxville such a unique environment in a hectic SEC.
“This is why you have such a different audience of so many different areas of because like you use big words too. You’re educated. Majestic place?” Kiffin told Von.
“Neyland Stadium in Tennessee is like amazing. It’s just — when we would bring recruits there, it is majestic. There you go. At night and then there’s the river and the boats.”
Kiffin spent the 2009 season as the head coach at Tennessee while posting a 7-6 record with the Volunteers prior to departing for the USC Trojans gig.
He's returned on multiple occasions where it be with the Alabama assistant coach on Nick Saban's staff or as the shot-caller of the Ole Miss Rebels.
“Then the intensity in there is so — I was the head coach here at Ole Miss and we went to play at Tennessee,” Kiffin said.
“And it was like on from warmups. Like everyone was there. Over 100,000 people and there was like this hatred towards me. I felt like the gladiator at a movie. They were getting ready for a thumbs down, like let’s kill him.”
Tennessee fans haven't forgotten the unique split nearly two decades ago with Kiffin discussing the "real conversations" that he may have to wear a bullletproof vest during a return.
“They had a real conversation with me during the week about bulletproof vests. Like, ‘There’s no way, guys. Come on, man. It’s football.’ And they’re like, they had three cops with me and everything. Like, they ain’t gonna really do that," Kiffin said.
"Maybe like a golf ball, they’re gonna throw at me or a bottle or something. So, then I’m walking in and like this is awesome. Now I could feel… they were chanting like, ‘F*** Lane Kiffin.’ That actually felt intense and cool, 100,000 people chanting that.
"Then the student section was like ‘Last night we were with your wife,’ and I was like man, that’s pretty funny to come up with stuff. It was intense and it just kept building,” Kiffin said.
Kiffin recalled fans throwing objects at him before, during and after the game in Neyland with the environment becoming an instant memory.
“So, maybe everybody didn’t hate me at the beginning but then it’s like a crowd storm and the hatred just kept building. It was a really close game at the end and we won. Then they got pissed and threw things at me. Golf ball. Anything they could get," Kiffin said.
"Mustard… they didn’t have schoolbooks. No. Mustard bottles. Like, how do you even have a mustard bottle? You just brought that to the game? Like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go to the game and sneak the mustard bottle in.'”
“They throw this golf ball that became famous at me,” Kiffin said. “And afterwards I’m like, ‘What am I sneaking into the game? What do you have a golf ball for?’ I’m carrying a golf ball because I don’t think they think I’m gonna throw it.
"Like I’m gonna be p**sed off in the fourth quarter and throw it. But then I looked closer it was a range ball. So, you know what it was? It was the cheap guy who steals the range ball… So, it was just in his pocket. That was my guess.”
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Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Ole Miss Rebels On SI, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Rebel Football, Baseball, Basketball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving Ole Miss athletics. Nagy has covered the Southeastern Conference for over half a decade after being born and raised in New Orleans (La.).
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