Ole Miss football fined by SEC after fans stormed the field against LSU
OXFORD — After a big win over LSU sent Ole Miss football fans into party mode Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, the bill has come due.
And no, we're not talking about a hangover.
The SEC fined Ole Miss $100,000 after Rebels fans stormed the field in the aftermath of a 55-49 victory over the Tigers in Week 5.
The conference policy states the following:
"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."
The conference levied new guidelines on the matter at its spring meetings earlier this year. The first offense leads to a $100,000 fine, with the second and third offenses triggering fines of $250,000 and $500,000, respectively.
“While fines don’t impact the immediate decision-making process of fans, they do provide an incentive from universities to develop strategies,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told The Athletic this summer.
The game's drama fed into what became a highly emotional night in Oxford. After trailing LSU (3-2, 2-1 SEC) by nine points with 8:34 remaining, the Rebels (4-1, 1-1) took their first lead of the fourth quarter with 39 seconds to play on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Jaxson Dart to Tre Harris.
LSU managed to get close enough to try a last-gasp pass into the end zone as time expired, but it was knocked away. Seconds later, the fans were storming onto the field.
"Really neat to have that electric environment," Rebels coach Lane Kiffin said postgame.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football fined by SEC following LSU field storming
