Last season, eventual Heisman-winning LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels heaved a pass into the end zone that was broken up by the Ole Miss secondary, sealing a Rebel victory at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. On Saturday, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction in the all-too-familiar Death Valley at night.
After Rebel kicker Caden Davis knocked in a 56-yard field goal to give Lane Kiffin’s team a 26-23 lead in overtime, Brian Kelly dialed up a deep shot on the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage, and Garrett Nussmeier found Kyren Lacy in the end zone to walk it off in front of 102,212 fans.
“We knew we were going to get a one-on-one matchup on the backside, so it was on me to win my one-on-one matchup,” Lacy said after the game. “[Garrett Nussmeier] trusted me and threw me a ball, so I went to get it. It was a blessing. It’s a moment I will never forget.”
The stars all aligned for LSU in the 100th anniversary of Death Valley and Tiger fans stormed the field to celebrate the top-10 win — one in which the home team had not led until the final score. Ole Miss has not beaten the Tigers in their home stadium since 2008.
Missed opportunities underscored the first half for Kiffin’s squad, and ultimately bit the Rebels down the stretch. No. 9 Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2 SEC) had a deep ball uncharacteristically dropped by standout wide receiver Tre Harris, a missed field goal, a turnover on downs in the red zone after the defense picked off a pass in Tiger territory, and a fumble that gifted No. 13 LSU (5-1, 2-1 SEC) points.
The first points of the ballgame came on a redemptive 49-yard field goal from Caden Davis with 14:55 left in the second quarter. After forcing LSU to punt, Kiffin turned to Ulysses Bentley IV on fourth-and-short midfield and the speedy back turned on the jets for a 59-yard score.
LSU, after being held at bay all half, found an offensive spark and capped a 75-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Trey’Dez Green. Ole Miss looked to neutralize the Tigers’ score with a touchdown of their own. Harris, who missed the entire second half at South Carolina last weekend, reeled in a heroic reception with LSU defensive back Major Burns covering him like a blanket.
With 1:46 left in the half, Pete Golding’s defense was tested once again as Nussmeier and the LSU offense moved down the field with relative ease. The Rebels caught a break when a pass to Zavion Thomas in the end zone was reviewed, and an incompletion was ruled. LSU was forced to settle for three points in the waning minutes of the half.
Ole Miss gifted LSU more points at the end of the second quarter when Henry Parrish, Jr. fumbled at the Rebels’ 30-yard line. Nussmeier missed on three straight passing attempts and Tiger placekicker Damion Ramos sent the ballgame into halftime with his team trailing 17-13.
Both teams led scoreless drives, one of which LSU missed a field goal, to begin the second half. Ole Miss broke the inertia when Davis split the uprights from 35 yards out to give Ole Miss a 20-13 lead with 4:41 left in the third quarter. Nussmeier and company countered by moving the ball into Ole Miss territory, setting up a 41-yard attempt that Ramos connected on.
The Rebels then moved into LSU territory with an opportunity to go up two scores, but the drive was cut short when Dart threw an interception in the end zone. Nevertheless, LSU gifted the ball right back to the Rebels with a deep ball from Nussmeier going into Ole Miss defensive back Trey Amos’ hands with 10:54 left in the contest.
After an exchange of punts, Ole Miss, with the ball, moved into the Tigers’ side of the 50 but had to settle for a 37-yard field goal. Davis connected and extended the Rebels’ lead to seven with 3:14 remaining in the contest.
Pete Golding’s defense, which started off red-hot, but had bent down the stretch, was challenged by an LSU offense that refused to lay down. Nussmeier and his band of wideouts moved the chains on late downs. The Tigers tested fortune on fourth-and-five from the Ole Miss 23-yard line and Nussmeier hit Aaron Anderson for a game-tying touchdown.
And the rest is history.
“I don’t understand how we lost,” an emotional Dart said in the postgame presser. “It never felt like we were gonna lose until after.”
Though Ole Miss had more total yards and arguably outplayed its SEC counterpart, the Tigers came out victorious, largely due to a clean pocket Nussmeier had been graced with all night. Offensive line play favored the home team with LSU not allowing its signal caller to be taken down in the backfield once. On the other side, Dart was sacked six times.
Rebel edge rusher Princely Umanmielen’s absence was felt all game as the defensive line seemingly could not force the pocket to collapse.
On offense, Harris went to the injury tent and returned for just a couple of plays in the second half. From the mid-third quarter on, the nation’s leading wide receiver did not touch the field.
“Taking out the best receiver in the country is tough, and it means the rest of the guys have to step up,” Dart said of Harris’ absence. “I wish I could have thrown the ball a few throws better because one score would have changed the game.”
Ole Miss’ playoff hopes are now on life support and the margin of error is nonexistent. Dart acknowledged that his team has to win out if they want to be among the 12 teams vying for a national championship.
Stat leaders
- Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart: 24-42, 284 yards, one touchdown, and one interception
- Ole Miss running back Ulysses Bentley IV: 11 carries, 108 yards, and one touchdown
- Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee: Nine receptions, 132 yards
- Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris: Seven receptions, 102 yards, and one touchdown
- Ole Miss defensive back Trey Amos: One tackle, one interception, and three pass breakups
- LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier: 22-51, 337 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions
- LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy: Five receptions, 111 yards, and one touchdown
- LSU linebacker Whit Weeks: 18 tackles (10 solo), one sack, two tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble
Coach’s comments
The Ole Miss frontman expressed frustration that his team was unable to come out with a win — especially in a contest in which he believed the Rebels were the better team. Kiffin noted missed opportunities and compared the loss to what his team experienced two weeks ago when Kentucky upset the Rebels in Oxford.
“[I’m] really disappointed, obviously. We should’ve won that game,” Kiffin said. “We kind of commanded the game for the majority of it, but credit to [LSU] for making plays late in the fourth quarter and overtime.”
Kiffin, understandably, didn’t have much positive to say to his team after the gut-wrenching loss. He just reiterated his contention that the team that controlled the overwhelming majority of the game was not reflected as such on the scoreboard.
“We were the better team for the majority of the game, but in the end, you have to close them out,” Kiffin continued. “We left a lot of points there and still, after that, we were ahead with the ball in the fourth quarter. It was a tough one.”
What’s next
Ole Miss heads into a bye week. Two Saturdays from now, the Rebels will host No. 18 Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2 SEC) in the early time slot.
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