Kiffin out at Tennessee; Brown interim

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Outgoing Tennessee football Coach Lane Kiffin flew to Los Angeles Wednesday to begin a similar job at Southern California.

Kiffin, the former coach of the Oakland Raiders, flew to Los Angeles less that 24 hours after resigning at Tennessee.

"I was kind of surprised," Tennessee President John D. Petersen said. "We sort of believed that Lane had signed on for the duration."

Kippy Brown, the school's former wide receivers coach, was named interim head Coach on Wednesday.

Most recently, Brown was assistant head coach and passing game coordinator for the Detroit Lions.

"I want to thank Coach Kiffin for his work with our program this past year," Athletics Director Mike Hamilton said on the school's Web site. "(Kippy Brown) has been a critical piece of our success in years past and will serve as interim head coach until this process is completed."

Hamilton added a search for a permanent replacement for Kiffin could be in place by week's end.