Lane Kiffin uses halftime interview to troll SEC rival

His team easily taking advantage of its paid-for November breather against The Citadel, Lane Kiffin -- as only Lane Kiffin can do -- elected to turn his halftime interview into an opportunity to taunt a rival.

OK. Not just any rival. Kiffin trolled The Rival: Mississippi State.

For really the first time all season, Mississippi State was getting blown out. Badly. Expected to challenge Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs in Georgia's visit to Starkville, Mississippi, the host Bulldogs trailed 24-7 at halftime and 38-7 five minutes out of the halftime break.

Kiffin, who also went onto the field during a timeout to congratulate a young couple for their on-field engagement, took a moment en route to his own team's locker room to taunt Mississippi State.

What prompted Kiffin's tart retort? Well, the question was simply 'Thoughts on the first half?'.

"Oh, just excited that Georgia's boat-racing Mississippi State 38-7," Kiffin said. "Oh, our game? I thought we were talking about the first half of Mississippi State."

Already assured of quite the greeting in Starkville when his Ole Miss Rebels face Jeff Lebby's Mississippi State Bulldogs on Black Friday, Kiffin just turned things up a notch.

Of course, he's already 4-1 in his first five times coaching in the famed 'Egg Bowl' rivalry clash -- and Kiffin's lone loss in the series actually came three years ago in an Ole Miss home game.

Mississippi State, which has climbed to five wins in Lebby's second season, needs a win in one of its final two games to earn bowl elgibility.

Goes without saying the Bulldogs also would relish the chance to potentially wreck the College Football Playoff chances of Ole Miss later this month.

But for now, Kiffin's squad is absolutely rolling; Saturday's 49-0 blanking of The Citadel's Bulldogs improved the Rebels to 9-1 on the season. They host Florida, which last month fired head coach Billy Napier, next Saturday for their home finale.

Ole Miss, ranked sixth Tuesday night in the inaugural CFP Top 25 of the 2025 season, has an open date Nov. 22 before its Nov. 28 regular-season finale at Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, need to find a win on the road at Missouri next weekend or in that 'Egg Bowl' finale to earn that sixth win and bowl eligibility.

And if not? Well, they'll certainly be reminded of such by Kiffin.