If a football team is 4-0 in the middle of the season, but no one is around to see it, is there really a home-field advantage?
That’s the question on Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’s mind through the first four games of the 2022 season. During Tuesday’s session with the media, Kiffin vented about the lack of attendance at Rebels home games, comparing the atmosphere at the start of games to that of a high school field.
“When you come back out and you run out of the tunnel and it looks like a high school game playing in a college stadium, you can’t let that affect you,” Kiffin said. “There’s psychology to that obviously, there’s a home-field advantage for a reason. And when it goes the other way, you kind of have that feeling that man, are we really still playing in a game here? The players have to fight that.”
“When you come back out, run out of the tunnel and it looks like a high school game, you can’t let that affect you. I’ve tried social media for two years but I’ll worry about what I can control”
More from #OleMiss HC Lane Kiffin on fans leaving Saturday’s Ole Miss game early: pic.twitter.com/s7dl92OlWL
— Jon Sokoloff (@JonSokoloff) September 27, 2022
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Kiffin went on to say he uses the low attendance figures as a “learning lesson” for the players.
“But I’m worried about what I can control,” Kiffin said. ‘I’ve tried social media in here for two years, so we’ll worry about what we can control and that’s getting our players ready to play.”
Attendance hasn’t exactly been great at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium through the first three home games of the season. With a capacity of 64,038, the Rebels have yet to exceed 61,000 in a game. According to the school, the attendance figures have been:
- Week 1 vs. Troy: 60,533
- Week 2 vs. Central Arkansas: 58,373
- Week 4 vs. Tulsa: 60,641
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Those aren’t exactly thrilling matchups, and the outcomes have never really been in much doubt. The Rebels beat Troy 28-10, beat Central Arkansas 59-3 and beat Tulsa 35-27, though the Golden Hurricane put a bit of a scare in Ole Miss with a one-score game through much of the fourth quarter.
Perhaps the concern for Kiffin is that this is a trend. Last year, only in two home games did Ole Miss exceed 61,000 fans in its 64,038-seat stadium: against LSU and against Texas A&M.
But as USA Today’s Dan Wolken points out, a big part of going to Ole Miss games is the tailgating and atmosphere outside the stadium in The Grove, one of the most famous tailgating spots in the nation.
I understand why this is frustrating for Lane, but it’s an entertainment product and socializing in The Grove is a huge part of the product Ole Miss are buying. Up to him to change that, not the other way around. https://t.co/qZZ19j8QMd
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) September 28, 2022
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The Rebels should draw a crowd on Saturday. The Rebels host No. 7 Kentucky in a battle of top-15 teams and a chance for Ole Miss to pick up its first SEC and ranked win of the season.
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