Stephen A. Smith Accuses Lane Kiffin of Lying Before Ole Miss Game

The return of Lane Kiffin is still the major narrative around college football’s game of the week with LSU facing off against Ole Miss, but the surprising revelation of one team’s injury update has created another big talking point around the matchup.

The addition of LSU starting quarterback Sam Leavitt to the team’s injury report, where he was notably listed as doubtful to appear against the Rebels, has led to speculation that the injury may be more imagined than real, and that Kiffin may be conducting a little psychological warfare against his old school.

SA calls BS on LSU

It took Stephen A. Smith about one second to conclude Lane Kiffin was up to something and it didn’t involve his quarterback actually being injured.

“I think this is Lane Kiffin lying through his teeth. I think he’s playing around. He’s annoying people. He’s being the agitator,” Smith said on ESPN about LSU’s motivations.

Stephen A. to Kiffin: Just Be a Jerk

Going one step further, Smith suggested that, if Kiffin is going to act like a pariah, he should go all the way and embody that image openly.

“Listen, I’m not asking for anybody, I’m not encouraging anyone to break any rules, to incur any fines or anything like that, but I like the embracing of the pariah image… As I said to him weeks ago, you got to embrace that image,” he said.

It should be easy against Ole Miss, which clearly hates him, as Smith noted: “They’re going on with life without you, but they still despise you. Stop trying to make people like you. Just embrace it. That’s what he’s doing here. He’s agitating people. He’s willing to get on their nerves.”

Ole Miss Agrees With Stephen A.

You would be hard-pressed to find anyone at or around Ole Miss who believes that LSU’s quarterback is actually dealing with an injury, or who is not of the opinion that Kiffin is taking part in a little gamesmanship to put the Rebels off their gameplan.

“No one on the Ole Miss staff is convinced LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt’s appearance as doubtful on the injury report is sincere and he’ll miss the game on Saturday,” said ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, citing people inside the Rebels program.

So, Is Lane Kiffin Lying?

Stephen A. Smith Accuses Lane Kiffin of Lying Before Ole Miss Game — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Knowingly putting false information in the availability report is something that could cost LSU a pretty penny if the SEC found out about it, amounting to a $25,000 fine for a first offense.

Still, it’s not like Kiffin isn’t willing to thumb his nose at the SEC, and the doubtful tag for Leavitt feels like some classic pre-game dirty tricks and subterfuge.

Leavitt finished the Louisiana Tech game with no visible issues, making this sudden injury highly suspicious. While a sore shoulder is certainly possible for any quarterback, this looks like a tactical move to force Ole Miss into wasting valuable practice time preparing for backups.

Stephen A. Smith echoed the opinion of millions of college football viewers when he declared: “I think Sam Leavitt’s going to be in this game.”

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