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'Get Your Popcorn Ready': Lane Kiffin Roasted for Pre-Game Mic Drop, 28-Point Halftime Deficit

The Ole Miss coach ended his pregame interview with a mic drop and some swagger. Two quarters later, the Rebels trailed Alabama 28-0 at halftime.

Andrew Gastelum

'Get Your Popcorn Ready': Lane Kiffin Roasted for Pre-Game Mic Drop, 28-Point Halftime Deficit
'Get Your Popcorn Ready': Lane Kiffin Roasted for Pre-Game Mic Drop, 28-Point Halftime Deficit /

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin anticipated a show at Bryant-Denny Stadium between No. 12 Mississippi and No. 1 Alabama on Saturday. It turns out that he was the punchline. 

During a pregame interview on CBS, Kiffin went viral for his cringeworthy exit, imploring the audience to get their "popcorn ready" while tossing his headset and looking back at the camera with an awkward death stare. 

"Last year, you had a page of notes from your time here, to reference back as to what bothers a Nick Saban-coached team," CBS's Jamie Erdahl said on the broadcast. "What's on the back side of that piece of paper to tell you about today?"

"Well let's hope we, uh, we didn't run out of pages," Kiffin said with a shrug. "So, here we go. Get your popcorn ready."

Two quarters, five penalties and 109 total yards later, Ole Miss ran into the tunnel at halftime facing a 28–0 deficit. 

Kiffin, who was the Alabama offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016, quickly became the source material for Twitter's matinee comedy special. 

Alabama would go on to score on its opening drive of the second half to take a 35-0 lead, although the Rebels answered back with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to get on the board. The Crimson Tide went on to win, 42–21.

In the end, there was hardly a kernel of truth to Ole Miss's hopes of an upset over the defending champions.

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Andrew Gastelum
ANDREW GASTELUM

Andrew Gastelum is a programming editor and writer at Sports Illustrated who specializes in soccer, the Olympics and international sports. He joined the SI staff in March 2021 and previously contributed to Howler Magazine and NBC Sports. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame alum and is currently based in Italy.

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