Ole Miss Fined $100K After Fans Storm Field Following Win Over LSU
The Ole Miss Rebels defeated the LSU Tigers in a shootout Saturday night. The final score was 55-49 and the game was in the balance until the last play.
Even though it was a matchup between two Top 25 teams and wasn't exactly an upset by any stretch, the Ole Miss fans decided to storm the field after the game.
For that, the university has been fined $100,000 by the SEC for violating the league's competition area policy.
This is Ole Miss' first offense under the league's revised access to competition area policy adopted at the SEC spring meetings in 2023.
The policy reads as follows:
Institutions shall limit access to competition areas to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly credentialed or authorized individuals at all times. For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest may spectators enter the competition area.
LSU will actually be the benefactor of this fine, as the SEC's policy states that fines are paid to the opposing institution when they stem from a conference matchup.
Ole Miss would be hit with a $250,000 fine for a second offense and $500,000 for a third and subsequent offenses.
The game itself was the highest-scoring matchup in this series' history. The Rebels and Tigers combined for more than 1,300 yards of total offense.
Ole Miss outscored LSU 21-7 in the fourth quarter and scored the game-winning touchdown with just 39 seconds to play.
It was the second victory for the Rebels over LSU in the last three meetings after dropping five straight from 2016 to 2020.
LSU fell to 3-2 (2-1 SEC) on the season while Ole Miss improved to 4-1 (1-1 SEC).
2023 LSU Tigers Football Season In Review
Gallery Credit: David Schultz