Before the game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Georgia State Panthers on Saturday night, there was a bizarre pregame incident.
After the Rebels completed their first Walk of Champions of the season, they proceeded into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and across the field. That is when Georgia State DB Tyler Scott approached the Ole Miss team. There as some sort of altercation, that brought Ole Miss coaches, including Lane Kiffin, into the mix.
It was later reported that Scott had gone up to an Ole Miss D-lineman, ripped off his chain, and then proceeded to throw it into the stands. A video of the incident was played during the broadcast.
Insane: Georgia State CB Tyler Scott SNATCHED an Ole Miss player's chain in the pregame and launched it in the stands...
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 1, 2025
He was quickly benched for the game 😬😳 pic.twitter.com/BnVbDZClos
Kiffin gave more information regarding the situation following the game. Kiffin confirmed that the Ole Miss player targeted was Da'Shawn Womack. Early reports were suggesting that it was Zxavian Harris who had the chain ripped. Kiffin went on to talk about his thoughts on the altercation and applauded his players.
“That was wild. I’ve never seen anything like that. The guy ripped Womack’s chain off his neck, taunted him, and then threw it in the stands. I thought our guys handled themselves really well, a lot better than I would have in that situation.”
Kiffin went on to add that Womack was the defensive player of the game for Ole Miss. The LSU transfer, Womack, recorded 6 tackles, including one for a loss, in his Rebel debut. The defensive end flashed his athleticism, which made him one of the top recruits coming out of high school on several occasions.
It remains unclear exactly what triggered the incident. Scott could've approached Womack completely unprovoked. However, it seems that he is claiming that his towel was stolen beforehand, however no video has surfaced showing that.
Georgia State head coach, Dell McGee, for his part did not allow Scott to play in the game as discipline for his actions. The Rebels would go on to win the game 63-7 to start the season and will travel to Kentucky this upcoming Saturday to play the Wildcats.