No. 13 LSU used some late-night Tiger Stadium magic to edge No. 9 Ole Miss 29-26 in overtime on Saturday. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier hit receiver Kyren Lacy for a 25-yard touchdown on the Tigers’ first offensive play of the extra period to close out the Rebels, who never trailed during regulation.
Hampered by a nonexistent rushing attack, LSU turned to Nussmeier and asked him to play the role of hero. Though he completed just 22 of 51 passes, the gunslinging redshirt junior led a memorable game-tying drive in the final 3:14.
On that series, he converted a fourth-and-6 with a 14-yard pass to Mason Taylor, a third-and-10 with a 19-yard pass to Taylor, and a fourth-and-5 with a 23-yard touchdown strike Aaron Anderson. Nussmeier’s scoring connection with Anderson came with just 27 seconds remaining and left third-year coach Brian Kelly with a difficult decision to make.
Instead of trying a 2-point conversion for the victory, Kelly went with a PAT, which tied the game at 23. The decision could have been interpreted as a sign of faith in a previously shaky defense. It turned out to be the right choice.
Though still imperfect, the Tigers looked better on that side of the ball coming off a bye. Ole Miss did not reach the end zone after halftime and netted -15 yards during its overtime possession. The Rebels were forced to settle for a career-long 57-yard field goal from Caden Davis on the opening series of overtime.
Rebels coach Lane Kiffin was seen exhaling on the sideline as the bomb of a kick cleared the crossbar. However, his relief turned to dismay just moments later as Nussmeier hit Lacy for the game-winning score, which prompted a field-storming in Death Valley and put the Rebels’ CFP hopes on life support.
LSU back in CFP mix
The win revitalizes LSU’s College Football Playoff hopes, which took a Week 1 hit when the Tigers lost 27-20 to USC in Las Vegas. LSU then struggled to put away FCS foe Nicholls in Week 2 before squeaking out a 36-33 win at South Carolina in Week 3. Wins over over lowly UCLA and South Alabama did little to offer much reassurance entering last week’s bye.
While there were still plenty of flaws with LSU in its stunning win over Ole Miss, the Tigers bought themselves some time to continue resolving them. A loss would have all but ended their College Football Playoff hopes, but the win legitimizes them. No one in the SEC looks particularly dominant outside of Texas, and LSU positioned itself Saturday among a chase pack of one-loss SEC teams that includes Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Missouri.
Bleak outlook for Ole Miss
Ole Miss was among the one-loss SEC teams clinging to CFP aspirations entering the week. But the Rebels face a bleak road back to the CFP discussion after falling to 5-2 (1-2 SEC). Just five games remain on the Ole Miss schedule, and only one of them — a Nov. 9 home game against Georgia — offers an opportunity for the Rebels to make any type of national statement. Given the lightness of the Ole Miss schedule, even a 5-0 finish may not be enough for the Rebels to claim one of the CFP’s seven at-large bids.
This was an all-in season for Ole Miss, which loaded up on transfer portal talent and built up its defense for the purpose of competing at the highest level. But the Rebels will have to dig deep for a perfect finish and hope for some help from others if they are going to have a chance to realize those expectations.
