GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU threw a 100th birthday bash for Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, invited Ole Miss and coach Lane Kiffin, and things went so well, everyone stayed late.
Then the No. 13 Tigers lit the place on fire and took all the cake and presents with a 29-26 upset of the No. 9 Rebels in overtime in front of 102,212 – several hundred of whom stormed the field – after a four-hour, 16-minute marathon. It was the second longest game in Tiger Stadium history, missing the record set against Arkansas in 2007 by five minutes, but LSU lost that one.
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw a 25-yard touchdown candle to wide receiver Kyren Lacy for the win on the first play of the Tigers’ possession for a walk-off victory, which plants the Tigers (5-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) firmly in the new 12-team College Football Playoff race.
“Just an incredible atmosphere,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “Incredible environment.”
Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) had taken a 26-23 lead on a 57-yard field goal by Caden Davis on the first possession of the OT.
LSU tied the game 23-23 with 27 seconds to play in regulation with a gutsy, last-minute drive led by Nussmeier, who converted two fourth downs on the critical possession.
On 4th-and-5 from the Ole Miss 23-yard line, he found wide receiver Aaron Anderson over the middle for the touchdown. Damian Ramos tied the game at 23-23 with the extra point. Nussmeier also converted a 4th-and-6 from his own 29-yard line by scrambling to his left and right before finding tight end Mason Taylor on a crossing route and throwing across his body for 14 yards.
Nussmeier completed only 4 of 11 passes on the drive, but they were crucial and totaled 66 yards of the 75-yard drive in 13 plays. He finished an unimpressive 22-of-51 passing with two interceptions, but he threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns. And he won.
“That was a growth game for him,” Kelly said. “You may see it differently. He made big plays.”
Lacy finished with five catches for 111 yards and the game-winning TD.
But the story of this game was LSU’s newfound defense of first-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who inherited one of the very worst defenses in the nation last season that gave up a school record 704 yards to this same Ole Miss team with Kiffin and quarterback Jaxson Dart and lost 55-49. That knocked the Tigers out of the playoffs, and made coach Brian Kelly eventually fire his entire defensive staff.
Baker’s turnaround has officially begun. LSU’s defense continually harassed Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart throughout the night and sacked him a season-high six times. Dart completed 24 of 42 passes for 284 yards, but he threw an interception in the end zone to cornerback Zy Alexander and threw only one touchdown. He came in with 13 touchdown passes and averaging 333 yards passing a game as the nation’s No. 3 QB in passing efficiency at 193.0.
“Sacks, harassing the quarterback, making big plays,” beamed Kelly, who had to outbid Missouri to get Baker to come to LSU after last season. “That’s what we’ve been talking about.”
Kiffin, meanwhile, found himself uncharacteristically settling for three field goals as the night wore on. In the end, LSU held the nation’s No. 2 total offense, averaging 560.2 yards a game, to nearly a football field below that at 464 yards. Repeatedly, Ole Miss blew scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity and chances to put the game out of reach early.
Still, Ole Miss had took a 23-16 lead with 3:14 to play when it settled for its third field goal on a 37-yard boot by Davis.
The Rebels reached a first down at the LSU 20, threatening to add to its 20-16 lead early in the fourth quarter. But Alexander – just back from a concussion two weeks ago – intercepted the Dart pass in the end zone over his shoulder like a wide receiver. Nussmeier returned the favor, however, with a deep pass into double coverage that Trey Amos intercepted.
Ole Miss reached a first down at the Tigers’ 18-yard line with a 54-yard drive, but Dart – under a heavy rush – threw three straight incomplete passes, forcing a 35-yard field goal by Caden Davis for a 20-13 lead with 4:41 to go in the third period.
LSU’s offense answered its defense that with a 51-yard drive in 10 plays, but also could not get into the end zone and settled for a 41-yard field goal by Ramos, cutting the Rebels lead to 20-16 with 1:10 left in the third quarter.
Ramos had missed a 46-yard field goal with 7:17 to go in the third quarter that would have cut Ole Miss’ lead to 17-16.
The Tigers were fortunate to be within 17-13 at the half. LSU cut a 17-7 Ole Miss lead over the final 34 seconds of the second quarter on 33- and 45-yard field goals by Ramos.
LSU drove 59 yards in eight plays for the first field goal with :34 left in the first half. Then LSU linebacker Whit Weeks forced a fumble on his tackle of tailback Henry Parrish Jr., and true freshman defensive tackle Dominick McKinley recovered at the Rebels’ 28-yard line with 27 seconds to go. Nussmeier took two shots in the end zone without success before a third straight incompletion.
Ole Miss could have led 17-0 in the first quarter as it outgained the Tigers 139 yards to 42 in the first 15 minutes, but the score stood 0-0. On the Rebels’ first possession after forcing an LSU punt, Dart threw perfectly deep for wide receiver Tre Harris, but he dropped it behind the LSU secondary. He likely would have scored with the catch.
The Rebels drove 65 yards in 11 plays on their next possession, but Caden Davis missed a 32-yard field goal.
Meanwhile, LSU could not move the ball, punting on its first two possessions after three plays. Then Nussmeier, under a heavy rush, tried to throw the ball away short near the line of scrimmage, but defensive tackle Jamarious Brown intercepted and returned it 10 yards to the Tigers’ 13-yard line.
Kiffin’s much ballyhooed offense managed just eight yards in four plays, however. LSU’s defense stuffed Parrish for two yards on the first two plays before giving up five. Kiffin went for it on 4th-and-1 from the 4-yard line on a quick snap, but defensive end Bradyn Swinson nailed Parrish for a 1-yard loss, and the Tigers took over.
The Rebels finally scored on a 49-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead at the 14:55 mark of the second quarter. After LSU’s 4th-and-2 from the Ole Miss 38 also failed miserably with a 3-yard loss by tailback Kaleb Jackson, Ole Miss seized momentum with a 50-yard touchdown run up the middle by tailback Ulysses Bently IV as LSU missed tackle after tackle. The Rebels led 10-0 with 8:39 to go before halftime.
LSU Celebrated 100th Birthday Of Tiger Stadium And Homecoming
At this point, the only reason for excitement in Tiger Stadium was the light shows in the stands by fans wearing lighted wristbands – a promotion by LSU for its celebration Saturday night of the 100th birthday of the stadium on homecoming. Amid the LSU greats coming home and watching from the sidelines or stands were Major League Baseball’s No. 1 draft choice of 2023 – pitcher Paul Skenes, NBA superstar center Shaquille O’Neal (LSU, 1989-92) and current NFL spectacular wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr.
Finally, Nussmeier lit up toward the end of the second quarter, completing 4-of-5 passes for 66 yards on a 75-yard drive in six plays. Nussmeier hit true freshman tight end Trey’Dez Green from 12 yards out for a TD, cutting Ole Miss’ lead to 10-7 with 5:33 left in the second quarter. Before that possession, Nussmeier was a mere 4 of 12 for 64 yards.
Ole Miss took a 17-7 lead 15-yard touchdown pass by Dart to Harris, finishing a dominant, 11-play, 75-yard drive. And the Tigers appeared to be in trouble.
“But the offense never got frustrated,” Kelly said. “It would’ve been easy for them to get frustrated.”
But they didn’t. And the the night was young.
And this birthday party had not started yet.
Be the first to comment