Why Ole Miss football celebrates its touchdowns with a fire extinguisher

HOUSTON — Over the last three seasons under Lane Kiffin, it hasn’t been uncommon to glance at the Ole Miss sideline and find a chunk of it engulfed in a cloud of white smoke.

There’s no need for concern. It’s not meant to signal an emergency – merely the arrival of six points. Beginning in a 2020 loss to LSU, Ole Miss tight end Jonathan Hess has let loose with a fire extinguisher after many Rebels touchdowns.

“We call it ‘all hands on deck,’” Rebels wideout Jonathan Mingo said. “In the game, we could have a big lead or something, coach wants to keep everybody into the game. He don’t want people to start slacking, he wants to keep everybody into the game and have fun. So we could be up by 20 or 30 points, and he’d be like ‘all hands on deck. Let’s keep everybody in good spirits and stuff.’”

Others have gotten in on the act, too. In Ole Miss’ final regular-season game against Mississippi State, Lane Kiffin’s son, Knox, was seen waving the fire extinguisher hose after an Ole Miss TD.

Ole Miss brought the tradition to the Lone Star State, too. The official Rebels account posted a Tweet with a cart full of fire extinguishers pregame. When Zach Evans opened the Rebels’ Texas Bowl account against Texas Tech in the first quarter, the smoke was once again present on the Rebels’ sideline.

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“It just brings the juice,” JJ Pegues said. “We’re just trying to get the opponents to watch us, like we’re just having fun playing and just beating them.”

It is without a doubt one of the most unique touchdown celebrations in college football. But is it legal? Not to worry, the SEC isn’t about to ruin the fun.

“There is no specific rule that prohibits the use of fire extinguishers provided it does not obstruct play and the device is kept within the bench area,” an SEC spokesperson said.

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why Ole Miss football celebrates its touchdowns with a fire extinguisher