Oxford Readies Record Security as Kiffin's Ole Miss Hosts LSU — SkimNews
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- Oxford police are bracing for at least 100,000 people over the Sept. 19 weekend in a town whose normal population is roughly 60,000, with Police Chief Jeff McCutchen calling it 'probably one of the biggest crowds that any of us have ever seen.'
- Mississippi Highway Patrol announced 65-70 troopers will deploy around Oxford—its largest presence ever for a college game weekend—while Louisiana State Police will send 10-15 officers; the National Guard will NOT be called up despite Gov. Jeff Landry joking to ESPN about needing an F-16 to protect the LSU team.
- Ole Miss emailed students Wednesday saying anyone wearing opposing colors will not be admitted to the student section and will be removed if found inside, according to an email obtained by CBS Sports.
- Oxford PD is borrowing 13 mounted officers from New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, bringing off-campus mounted patrol to 19 (vs. the usual six), and the LSU alumni association has rented the Lyric Theatre a block from the square for a watch party—days after the same venue hosted a roast of Lane Kiffin.
- College GameDay will originate from The Grove, and AD Keith Carter said officials used last weekend's home opener as a test run for the operational plan they've drilled on for the past month and a half.
- Carter, who was on the field during the 2021 Ole Miss-Tennessee game when golf balls and mustard bottles rained from the Neyland stands, recalled having to move the team, cheerleaders and staff to the middle of the field for 20-30 minutes—an administrator's 'worst nightmare' he's working to prevent.
- Ole Miss officials also cited an April LSU-Ole Miss baseball video—showing an LSU fan punching an Ole Miss fan in Swayze Field's right-field student section—as another driver of crowd-control planning, while assistant Pete Golding urged fans to 'be there early and be loud' but stressed the 'respect piece.'
Why it matters: Ole Miss has built its reputation on being one of college football's most gracious hosts—The Grove, the tailgates, the Southern hospitality—but Saturday's 100,000-in-a-60,000-town spectacle centered on Lane Kiffin is stress-testing that identity, and one viral incident like the 2021 Tennessee bottle-throw could undo years of brand-building in minutes.
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