#9 Ole Miss defeated #7 LSU 32-24 on Saturday night in Oxford to hand the Tigers their first loss of the season. With the loss, LSU drops to 2-1 on the year and 0-1 in SEC play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Ole Miss started with the ball, but after a 5-yard completion to Luke Hasz, the Rebels began moving backward. A holding call and a backward pass put Ole Miss in a third-and-long situation, which ended with a punt on the opening drive.
LSU started its first drive on its own 35-yard line. Sam Leavitt and the Tigers’ offense couldn’t get much going. One completion to Eugene Wilson III and a false start on Jordan Seaton led to LSU going three-and-out.
The Rebels’ second drive ended with three points. Trinidad Chambliss used his legs to convert back-to-back third-and-longs before Ole Miss eventually settled for a 37-yard field goal from Lucas Carneiro.
The Tigers’ offense turned in another three-and-out on its second drive, as positive yards continued to be tough to come by.
Ole Miss came back with a six-play, 78-yard drive. Chambliss hit Traylon Ray for 36 yards, then found Caleb Odom for 30 yards before capping the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run by Kewan Lacy, who powered through several LSU defenders.
Ole Miss held a 10-0 lead after one quarter.
LSU finally managed to pick up a couple of first downs on its third drive, but poor blocking and a tenacious pass rush from the Rebels kept the Tigers off the board once again.
The Rebels continued to put pressure on LSU. Lacy broke off a 22-yard run from the Rebels’ own 8-yard line. Then, with Chambliss 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage and two Tigers closing in, he hit Michael Smith for a 6-yard completion and a first down.
A few plays later, Chambliss found Ray for a 21-yard touchdown, capping an 11-play, 92-yard drive and giving Ole Miss a 17-0 lead.
The LSU offense finally began to pick up steam late in the second quarter. While the offensive line continued to give Leavitt little time to throw, he and Dilin Jones made plays with their legs.
Leavitt hit Trey’Dez Green for 14 yards and a first down, putting LSU in the red zone for the first time on the night. Leavitt’s next pass was just too high for Wilson III in the end zone, keeping the Tigers off the scoreboard.
One play later, the Rebels’ pass rush bullied its way through the LSU offensive line, forcing Leavitt to scramble from one side of the field to the other before finding Winston Watkins Jr. for 9 yards and a first down.
Jones and the Tigers finally hit pay dirt on a 2-yard run out of the wildcat formation, cutting the Rebels’ lead to 10.
With just 1:55 remaining in the half, Ole Miss raced down the field to the LSU 27-yard line with only 18 seconds left on the clock, forcing the Tigers to call a timeout.
Out of the timeout, Chambliss found Deuce Alexander for 20 yards straight up the middle for another touchdown in the final seconds of the half.
Ole Miss led LSU 24-7 at halftime. The Rebels outgained the Tigers 289-109. Chambliss was 21-of-27 for 248 yards and two touchdowns, while Leavitt was 9-of-13 for 69 yards.
LSU started the second half with the ball but managed zero yards, forcing the Tigers to give the ball back to Ole Miss.
The Tigers’ defense wouldn’t let Chambliss walk all over them on the Rebels’ first drive of the second half. On third-and-long, Chambliss was crushed in the backfield as he threw, with the pass ending up in the hands of Ja’Keem Jackson for an interception that was returned to the Rebels’ 23-yard line.
Leavitt and his legs came through again after the turnover. On a six-play, 33-yard drive, Leavitt ran for 22 yards and scored a touchdown to cut the Rebels’ lead to 24-14.
Penalties and a stout LSU defense forced Ole Miss to attempt a 53-yard field goal, which went wide right and allowed LSU to take over at its own 36-yard line.
LSU capitalized on the opportunity. After a few positive plays, Leavitt dialed up a 26-yard touchdown pass to Watkins, throwing it right over the head of an Ole Miss defender. LSU cut the Rebels’ lead to three.
On the next drive, the Tigers’ defense came up big again, sacking Chambliss for a 20-yard loss on third-and-10 and forcing the Rebels to punt.
On the ensuing drive, Trey’Dez Green left the game after a 19-yard reception. After spending some time on the ground, Green got up gingerly and appeared to favor his left leg.
With Green on the sideline, LSU drove to the Ole Miss 5-yard line before settling for a field goal, tying the game at 24 with 11:21 remaining.
Ole Miss answered right back with a long, 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard bootleg run from Chambliss into the left side of the end zone, giving the Rebels the lead again.
Ole Miss lined up for a two-point conversion, and the LSU defensive front jumped offsides twice in a row, allowing the Rebels to snap the ball from about one inch out. JT Lindsey walked into the end zone to put Ole Miss up by eight with 6:14 remaining.
LSU had to put the game on the line on fourth-and-4 deep in its own territory on the next drive. Leavitt scrambled to evade multiple Rebels and managed to pick up 13 yards and a first down to keep the Tigers’ hopes alive.
LSU continued down the field, trying to drain as much clock as possible. Leavitt had a wide-open receiver in the end zone for the score but pushed the pass too far left.
On the next play, with LSU facing fourth-and-goal, Leavitt’s pass was tipped at the line and intercepted in the end zone by Jaylon Braxton, sealing a 32-24 win for Ole Miss.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Trinidad Chambliss
Chambliss was incredible for the Rebels, going 33-of-48 for 363 yards and two touchdowns through the air. On the ground, he finished with a net of two yards but scored the decisive touchdown on Ole Miss’ final drive. He led a 13-play, 75-yard drive to seal the win for the Rebels and spoil his former coach’s return to Oxford.
BIG NUMBER: 5
The Rebels went a perfect 5-for-5 on their trips to the red zone. When they needed a score, they got it.
UP NEXT: LSU returns home to Tiger Stadium on Saturday, September 26th, to take on Texas A&M at 6:30 PM. Catch all the action on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles — Southwest Louisiana’s Sports Station.