The LSU Tigers didn’t lose to Ole Miss because they lacked talent.
That’s what makes LSU’s 32-24 loss to the Rebels even more troubling, especially for Lane Kiffin.
LSU erased a 24-7 halftime deficit and tied the game in the fourth quarter before Ole Miss answered with the decisive touchdown. What happened immediately afterward caught the attention of The Athletic’s Seth Emerson.
LSU committed consecutive offside penalties before Ole Miss’ 2-point conversion, moving the ball from the 3-yard line to the 1. The Rebels converted, stretching their lead to eight with 6:14 remaining.
For Emerson, those two mistakes represented something much larger about Kiffin.
“LSU has as much talent, but the late 2-point conversion sequence — two straight offside penalties — crystalized my concern about Kiffin. His teams often aren’t disciplined enough, because he isn’t a disciplined person himself. His approach works to a point, but football is a game of discipline, and if Kiffin never wins a national championship, that may be why,” Emerson wrote.
That’s a pretty strong statement only three games into Kiffin’s first season at LSU.
It’s also one that points directly to why the Tigers hired him.
Lane Kiffin Gets Blunt National Championship Warning
Kiffin arrived in Baton Rouge with championship expectations after turning Ole Miss into one of the country’s best programs.
He won 55 games over six seasons in Oxford, produced four double-digit-win seasons and led the Rebels to a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance in 2025, even though he wasn’t able to coach during those games.
LSU hired him to take the Tigers back into that same national championship conversation.
Emerson’s concern isn’t whether Kiffin can assemble enough talent to contend. He believes that LSU has as much talent as Ole Miss.
His concern is whether Kiffin’s teams can consistently avoid the type of mistakes that showed up at a critical moment on Saturday.
The first offside came against Malik Blocton after Ole Miss had scored to make it 30-24. Shone Washington was then flagged for another offside before the Rebels finally snapped the ball from the 1-yard line and converted.
Instead of LSU needing a touchdown and extra point to take the lead, the Tigers needed a touchdown and 2-point conversion just to tie.
LSU still had an opportunity to respond, but another mistake followed. A false start pushed the Tigers backward on their final possession before Sam Leavitt eventually threw an interception on fourth-and-goal.
LSU, Texas A&M Already Face High-Stakes SEC Game
LSU doesn’t have much time to sit on the Ole Miss loss.
The Tigers return home Saturday to face Texas A&M, with both teams entering the matchup 0-1 in SEC play.
LSU fell to 2-1 overall after losing at Ole Miss, while the Aggies are also 2-1 after Kentucky stunned them 31-21 at Kyle Field. Texas A&M fell from No. 9 to No. 23 in the latest AP poll, while LSU dropped to No. 10.
That makes Saturday night’s game at Tiger Stadium an early must-win for both teams.
A second conference loss in September wouldn’t mathematically end either team’s SEC championship or College Football Playoff chances, but it would leave less breathing room for another mistake with most of the conference schedule still ahead.
LSU at least gets the benefit of returning home, where the Tigers have won 25 of their last 27 night games.
Texas A&M won 49-25 in Baton Rouge last season.
LSU Gets Serious Lane Kiffin Warning About National Title Hopes