Tennessee Football’s final home game in 2026 will be a big one. On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Tennessee Volunteers will welcome Lane Kiffin’s new-look LSU Tigers into Neyland Stadium to officially close out a massive SEC home slate.
While the game isn’t as big as Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss in Week 3, there are still plenty of memories that carry over from his last trip to Rocky Top. That was the infamous Tennessee-Ole Miss game from 2021 in Josh Heupel’s first season in Knoxville. We all remember it well: the play-stoppage, the mustard bottle, the yellow golf ball, trash in the endzone. It was the whole nine yards and then some.
What people may not remember is that the play stoppage and subsequent chaos began in protest of a decision made by the officiating crew in the final minute of the game. Tennessee, down by five points, attempted to convert a 4th and 26, but tight end Jacob Warren’s reception was ruled just short of the first down marker. Vol fans in the crowd immediately began voicing their displeasure with the call after a review, which kicked off some of the trash throwing from the stands.
After holding Ole Miss to a three-and-out, Tennessee got the ball back with less than 30 seconds on the clock. Hendon Hooker helped move the Vols down the field, but was injured on a run up the middle. That brought Joe Milton III into the game. Milton got the Vols closer to the endzone, but ended up scrambling out of bounds on the final play of the game.
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Next year’s game between Tennessee and LSU will be Kiffin’s fourth trip to Knoxville since departing as UT’s head coach in 2009. He was the offensive coordinator for Alabama during games in 2014 and 2016, both Crimson Tide wins, and head coach during the Rebels’ aforementioned win in 2021. This will be the third team overall that Kiffin has helped lead into Neyland Stadium since his departure.
Kiffin was at the center of the college football coaching carousel this season when he moved from Ole Miss to LSU before the Rebels’ trip to the College Football Playoffs. He helped orchestrate the best season in Ole Miss history, but opted to accept an in-conference job before being able to see the season to the finish line. He was also rumored for the Florida job for a little bit, but that appeared to have fallen through fairly quickly.
LSU is one of five SEC home games that Tennessee will have next season. The Vols will also host Texas in the SEC opener on Sept. 26, Auburn on Oct. 3, Alabama on Oct. 17, and Kentucky on Nov. 7.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football scheduling notes.
