The closely watched drama in the college football world finally reached its conclusion. Lane Kiffin, the head coach at Ole Miss for the past six years, boarded a flight for Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sunday.

Kiffin was formally introduced as LSU’s next head coach Monday. Ole Miss quickly responded to Kiffin’s exit by elevating Pete Golding from defensive coordinator to head coach. 

While Kiffin’s exit sparked considerable backlash, former ESPN host and current sports commentator and podcaster Bomani Jones turned his focus to the coach’s handpicked successor.

Jones lambasted Golding’s performance during his stint as Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator. He also floated a theory about Golding’s appearance.

COACH WHO LEFT OLE MISS TO JOIN LANE KIFFIN AT LSU WILL FINISH SEASON WITH REBELS

“I had known him by name. I saw a picture of him and was like ‘There’s no way that man is a head coach,’” Jones said.

Golding has coached for nearly two decades, but this will be his first opportunity to lead a football program that competes in a Power Four conference.

Kiffin coached the Rebels to victory over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl rivalry game Friday to secure an 11-1 record for Ole Miss. While Ole Miss did not qualify for this week’s SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, the seventh-ranked Rebels are in position to advance to the College Football Playoff.

Whatever game Ole Miss ends up playing later this month will be Golding’s first opportunity as the Rebels’ head coach. After reportedly meeting with Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and school chancellor Glenn Boyce, Kiffin learned his time coaching the Rebels had come to an end.

“I was hoping to complete a historic six-season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern,” Kiffin said in a statement. 

LSU parted ways with Brian Kelly in late October, shortly after the Tigers dropped a home game to Texas A&M.

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On Tuesday night at Galen Center, a light crowd cheered hard for the defense. Any time the Trojans fought off a jump-ball, any time they chased down a loose ball, any time the team quickly transitioned to offense off one of the 18 defensive rebounds, the arena DJ asked the fans to cheer on the hustle.

“DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE!”

As Saint Mary’s (5-4) turned the ball over 29 times, USC (6-2) took advantage of each opportunity it made by cruising to a commanding 79-33 victory over the Gaels. The Trojans flexed on both sides of the court. They held the visiting team to single-digit points in the last three quarters of the game and led by as many as 46 points, never giving up the lead.

Senior Londynn Jones led the Trojans with 17 points while going 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

“We made them look rougher than they are,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It’s a really good team who played some other Power Four teams really tough and challenged us to get better this week, which we did.”

The Gaels never stood a chance against the Trojans. After finishing the first quarter up by four points, the USC defense exploded with six steals while forcing nine turnovers and holding Saint Mary’s to four points in the second quarter. Saint Mary’s shot 27% from the field and went 2-of-13 from the three-point line.

Three USC players scored in double figures while contributing on defense as well. After earning her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor of the season, Jazzy Davidson had 14 points, three blocks, six assists and four rebounds. Senior Kara Dunn had 15 points with five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Jones, who came off the bench to lead the team in scoring, added four steals.

The Trojans earned 13 fast break points, quickly moving the ball up the court after defensive stops. They shot 46% from the field and 76% from the free-throw line.

“We’re making sure that our execution is really good and that we’re giving all of our effort into every single play and making sure that we are getting better at boxing out,” Dunn said. “We’re making sure we’re getting better at moving the ball.”

The Trojans did not take the game lightly, with the bench scoring 33 points and scoring 24 points in two separate quarters. USC aims to maintain its strong execution when it hosts No. 5 Washington on Sunday.

“I think we’ve really made a concerted effort to work and get better,” she said. “It’s not just getting better at jumpers or getting better at a play, it’s mentally saying, ‘Do we need to talk more?’”

USC’s communication was strong throughout Tuesday’s game. Saint Mary’s players felt pressure from two Trojans every time they touched the ball. If a shot was missed, USC took care of the rebound.

“It’s a huge energy boost,” Dunn said of the dominant performance. “I feel like it brings us together, it connects us.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Buffalo Bills 26-7 on Sunday, and a restless Steelers crowd was letting the home team hear it. 

Fans booed and even called for head coach Mike Tomlin’s job, but the 53-year-old veteran head coach had a surprising answer when asked about his perspective on the crowd’s frustrations and the calls for his firing.

“In general, I agree with them, from this perspective: Football is our game, we’re in a sport-entertainment business,” Tomlin said Tuesday during a press conference. “And so, if you root for the Steelers, entertaining them is winning. And so when you’re not winning, it’s not entertaining.”

“If you’ve been in this business, you understand that, and so I respect it. I share frustrations, I understand what makes this thing go, and winning is what makes this thing go.”

The Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are both atop the AFC North at 6-6, but neither has looked like a first-place team. The Steelers have lost five of their last seven games as their once-seemingly big lead in the division has vanished.

The Steelers had a chance to run away with the division after a 4-1 start. The Ravens were 1-5 and the Cincinnati Bengals were struggling to find their footing after losing Joe Burrow, but now the Steelers’ path to the playoffs looks murkier than ever. 

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They did take a 7-3 lead into halftime over the Bills, but things quickly unraveled in the second half. On the first play from scrimmage, Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa crushed an unsuspecting Aaron Rodgers to force a fumble, which was recovered for a touchdown. 

The Bills never looked back, and the Steelers’ offense never got anything going. 

With the Steelers’ recent struggles, the fans’ intensity in their jeers has only grown, and Tomlin agreed with the fans. 

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Tomlin is the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach, as he has held the position since 2007. In 304 games, Tomlin has a 189-113-2 record. 

The Steelers will look to give their fans something to cheer about when they take on the Ravens in a pivotal matchup on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

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