'Disappointed For Players!' Lane Kiffin On Ole Miss' Early Season Second Half Crowds

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is "disappointed" for his players after seeing some smaller crowd sizes in the second half of blowout games this season.

Aug 31, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks at the jumbotron during the second half against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels have secured blowout wins in their first two games of the 2024 season, and while the crowds at the opening of each week have been sizable, the fan attendance has dwindled after halftime against these non-conference opponents.

On a media Zoom call Sunday evening, head coach Lane Kiffin was asked about his opinion on the shrunken crowd in the second half of both games, and he seemed frustrated but acknowledged that it was out of his control.

"I think it's really important for the players," Kiffin said. "You come out of the tunnel in the second half or you're going into an end zone, and you look up and see the difference. I don't really understand it, but maybe I'm naive to it. If a concert is going really well, do you leave?

"I get if the product is really bad and you come out in the second half and the stadium is half empty. I think it's pretty entertaining to watch a team playing really well. ... It's frustrating, but I can't control it. I'm just disappointed for our players."

Ole Miss reported that Saturday's attendance against Middle Tennessee was 66,427, the second-largest crowd on record at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. That likely reflects overall ticket sales and not actual fans in the stadium, but regardless, the crowd was obviously lessened in the second half.

What it likely boils down to, however, is simply a blowout against an "inferior" opponent being secured early in both games. But perhaps Kiffin has a point in saying that fans could stick around even in those games because of how talented this Ole Miss team seems to be.

The Rebels' next home game will come on Sept. 21 against Georgia Southern before opening SEC play at home against Kentucky the following week.