The highly anticipated top-10 SEC showdown headlined by LSU coach Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss lived up to its billing with a dramatic, down-to-the-wire finish in a packed and electric Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
But the polarizing coach’s hostile homecoming to Oxford, Miss., will be remembered more for a nightmare start and unhappy ending, despite a valiant second-half rally
Once the No. 7 Tigers (2-1, 0-1) managed to pull back even from a 17-point deficit, his former quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and the No. 8 Rebels (3-0, 1-0) had one last long drive and one goal-line stop to spoil their guests’ evening, 32-24.
“Credit to Ole Miss, (coach) Pete (Golding) — they did a really good job,” Kiffin said. “The crowd showed up today and was a factor there at the end. So credit to them, and players made plays. That’s what all week my biggest fear every minute was when the game’s at the end and Trinidad has the ball in his hands. And the guy made a lot of plays during the game and did a great job. It’s why I said he’s the hardest player to play in America, and he showed up great today.”
Ole Miss marched 75 yards in 13 plays without star running back Kewan Lacy to take the eight-point lead on a 14-yard dash by Chambliss around lost containment and to the pylon and subsequent two-point run by J.T. Lindsey, the former Alexandria star and LSU signee.
LSU pieced together a 14-play, 69-yard drive down to the 4-yard line — without a key weapon of its own in tight end Trey’Dez Green — but couldn’t push any farther through the stout effort by the Rebels.
And a fourth-down pass by quarterback Sam Leavitt ricocheted off the helmet of defensive lineman Kam Franklin and up for grabs for cornerback Jaylon Braxton to corral and secure the Ole Miss victory.
Chambliss finished 33-for-48 for 363 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, plus the go-ahead rushing score late, compared to 330 yards of total offense for the Tigers.
The first half couldn’t have gone much uglier for Kiffin and company.
“I think you walk into a storm,” Kiffin said. “That’s what happens a lot of times in these games. You see it all the time. You go in, a buzzsaw, you walk in, it’s a build-up. The stadium was full an hour early. I guess I had to leave to get ’em to do that, so you’re welcome. But, yeah, it was. And then Trinidad early was on fire. And they got us in third down and really rushed really well. (Defensive tackle Will) Echoles I thought really played a good game, and they made it really hard.”
Ole Miss built a 17-0 lead on three straight scoring possessions as sixth-year quarterback Trinidad Chambliss looking his veteran and dynamic past carving up and down the field almost at will.
The Rebels meanwhile kept Leavitt and the LSU offense out of rhythm with just 24 yards on 14 plays their first three possessions.
Junior safety Dashawn Spears left during the first quarter and spent the rest of the night on crutches on the sideline, and starting running back Dilin Jones went down awkwardly — but thankfully only exited briefly — at one point in the second quarter.
“Tough game injury-wise on us, too, losing Spears early and then Trey’Dez, a big factor,” Kiffin said. “But I’m proud of the way the guys battled back. To be down like that at half and then score and let ’em go down and score and then come back and go on a 17-0 run is really good. But at the end we didn’t finish. We couldn’t finish on defense and stop ’em and let ’em go down and score, and then on offense we move down and then stall there at the end with a critical false start too that moves us back.
Jones returned later in the drive to finally put the Tigers on the board and to trim the deficit to 17-7 with 1:57 remaining in the half and the third-quarter kickoff due their way.
But Chambliss cruised 75 yards in eight plays right back to the other end zone for a 20-yard strike to Deuce Alexander to extend the lead back to 24-7 heading into the locker rooms.
And LSU’s opening possession of the third quarter proved a quick 3-yard loss and three-and-out.
The tide began to turn three plays later on an interception by junior cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson to provide a spark.
Leavitt led the ensuing drive 33 yards to the end zone on a scrambling 4-yard keeper to the end zone for the first of three straight scores.
The Tigers started finding more success pressuring and keeping Chambliss and the Rebels off balance for a couple possessions.
Leavitt connected with Winston Watkins Jr., a transfer from Ole Miss, for a 26-yard touchdown to pull back within 24-21 late in the third quarter, and kicker Scott Starzyk knotted the contest on a 23-yard field goal early in the fourth.
But the night’s storybook ending would belong to the home team.
“The game could’ve kept going the way it was,” Kiffin said. “So I was glad that they battled back in there and really strained during that third quarter, early fourth quarter, and kinda had ’em on the ropes. So we’re 0-1 in SEC play. Again, whether win or loss, I was kind of ready for that already knowing, ‘Man, it feels like we’ve already played a season with so much emotions with the first and third games and all that stuff, and now we’re right back to where we’ve always been and have eight SEC games to play.’ So there’s a lot of football left and go back home next week and get a win.”
This article will be updated further…
