Account posing as Penn State fan created by Ole Miss coach
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin found himself in a Twitter prank gone wrong during his team’s Outback Bowl victory against Penn State on Saturday.
False social media support for Nittany Lions
Before the game, a Twitter account with the handle @WEARE_PENNST23 gained attention for its numerous posts heavily in favor of the Penn State Nittany Lions. The account, created earlier this month, had just seven posts, all of which were shared on Friday. Interestingly, Kiffin himself shared four of those posts.
Internet sleuths uncover the truth
However, it didn’t take long for internet sleuths to uncover the truth behind the account. The account actually belonged to Fisher Ray, one of Ole Miss’ student assistants. Kiffin was made aware of this revelation and expressed amusement at the situation.
Good-natured humor appreciated by Kiffin
“I was glad we won … so they couldn’t use it as bulletin board material. I thought it was pretty funny because they discovered it was Fisher Ray, one of our student assistants, who did that. It was all in good fun. I hope the fans had good fun with that,” Kiffin said after the game.
Retirement of the prank account
Once Kiffin found out the true identity of the account, Fisher retired it. The account’s final post read, “Guess this account won’t be needed anymore.”
Outstanding performance by Ole Miss
In the Outback Bowl, Ole Miss showcased an outstanding performance. Quarterback Jaxson Dart passed for 379 yards and three touchdowns, including two to tight end Caden Prieskorn, and also ran for a score in their 38-25 victory. The team gained a total of 541 yards against Penn State, more than double the 223 yards per game that the Nittany Lions had allowed. This marked the most yards and points allowed by Penn State this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.