WATCH: Tennessee minor league team lets fans throw mustard at 'Lane Kiffin'

Lane Kiffin has never been particularly popular at Tennessee since his lone season as the Volunteers head coach in 2009. And the Tennessee Smokies, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, did something quintessentially minor league baseball: Held a promotion where fans could throw a bottle of mustard at Kiffin.

Well, a plastic skeleton in a chair with a printout of Kiffin’s face, in Ole Miss gear, on it — since the real thing is probably not too inclined to dodge projectiles from Tennessee fans any time soon.

The tweet accompanying the video reads, simply, “Lane Kiffin is not welcome in Tennessee.” Kiffin’s stand-in suffers a grim fate.

Lane Kiffin is not welcome in Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/gXyKFzkcwb

— Tennessee Smokies (@smokiesbaseball) August 28, 2022

The use of yellow mustard as a projectile is a callback to the game between the Rebels and Volunteers in Neyland Stadium last season. Upset and unruly Tennessee fans began hurling various things on the field including, infamously, a bottle of yellow mustard.

Thus the Smokies — who play in “America’s Friendliest Ballpark” — offered a few fans the chance to line Kiffin* up down the the first base line and let loose.

For what it’s worth, Kiffin has been a good sport about the ordeal, even signing a mustard bottle at SEC Media days this year.

However, Kiffin’s probably not going to sign up to swap for the fake him anytime soon, especially based on some of the tosses those fans showed off.

Kiffin explained signing the mustard bottle and Tennessee fallout at SEC Media Days

Kiffin said it’s been part of an interesting offseason as he gets ready for his third season as Rebels coach. He’s also signed golf balls, which a fan also threw during that Ole Miss vs. Tennessee matchup, and even threw a golf ball during his first pitch before the Rebels played the Vols in baseball.

However, Ole Miss lost that game, and Rebels fans blamed the troll. Kiffin said it was all part of his master plan to motivate them to win the national championship.

“I did sign a mustard bottle,” KIiffin said. “That was the first guy to come up. … I have signed a lot of mustard bottles and golf balls, which normally I haven’t. It’s been a unique offseason. On the golf ball, which goes back to the first pitch I threw out for the Tennessee game, we got swept by Tennessee, didn’t play well. Everybody thought it was my fault.

“I had a plan. I wanted our guys to stay humble, not play very well, then we’d go win the national championship in baseball. I’d like to say that was a plan. All the Tennessee fans that were all excited about sweeping us, there was a plan.”