No. 7 LSU is heading into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to face No. 8 Ole Miss, with both teams sitting at 2-0. It is the first top-10 meeting between the programs since 1962, but Kiffin’s return is the biggest storyline surrounding the game after he left the Rebels for LSU just before their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance last season. The departure sparked plenty of backlash in Oxford, and the tension has continued into the buildup to Saturday’s game. But it looks like not everybody involved is carrying that grudge.

“There’s a lot made of this game and the fans dislike of each other and maybe some other people in the States in leadership roles,” Lane Kiffin said on The Lane Kiffin Show via Louisiana Loaded. “But it’s actually interesting… Maybe fans don’t want to hear this, these players and coaches don’t hate each other.”

That might not be the line some Ole Miss fans wanted to hear. Lane Kiffin spent six seasons in Oxford and went 55-19. Pete Golding was part of that run, working as Kiffin’s defensive coordinator for three seasons before eventually taking over the program himself. The two coaches will now stand on opposite sidelines. 

Lane Kiffin, though, doesn’t sound interested in pretending their relationship suddenly disappeared. In fact, he revealed something that might surprise people.

“I think people would be surprised how the staffs get along,” he said. “They’d be really surprised that we were on the phone for 25 minutes with Pete Golding last night, Charlie [Weis Jr.] and I. So, that’ll really get some people really confused.”

There was more to it than simple professional courtesy. Lane Kiffin spoke about Pete Golding with genuine admiration during his midweek media appearance, particularly when discussing the way the Ole Miss coach handles his players.

“Pete has great relationships with people,” he said. “Pete does a really good job of coaching really hard.”

Then he made the comparison to his father, the late Monte Kiffin.

“He reminds me of my dad this way,” he added.

Monte Kiffin was a legendary defensive coach, but Lane Kiffin wasn’t talking about schemes here. He was talking about the relationship between coach and player. Pete Golding, in his view, can push players hard while still making sure they know the criticism comes from someone who cares about them.

Pete Golding has said essentially the same thing from his side. At SEC Media Days in July, he was asked repeatedly about Lane Kiffin and the tension surrounding the coaching change. His answer was blunt.

“Lane and I are good,” he said. “I have no ill-will towards him. Wish him the best of luck.”

So the coaches seem to have moved on. The fan base hasn’t been quite as quick. The bitterness surrounding Lane Kiffin’s departure has spilled onto social media, even surfacing during an Ole Miss-LSU baseball series in April. With him now returning to Oxford as the opposing coach, the Rebels have taken extra precautions.

Opposing-team gear will not be allowed in the student section, even for fans holding tickets there. AD Keith Carter also said security has also been increased around the game while Lane Kiffin knows what kind of reception awaits him.

“I guess there’s real safety issues and stuff, so there’s people that have a plan for that,” he said. “There’s going to be so much attention, hatred, everything on me.”

The coaches may not hate each other. The players may not either. But when Kiffin walks back into Oxford, none of that is likely to matter to the crowd for very long. The noise will be waiting. And Saturday night, Lane Kiffin finally has to walk straight into it.