The Ole Miss Rebels defeated the LSU Tigers by a score of 27-24 in a major upset in Oxford that came down to a game-winning field goal in the final seconds. The win gives the Rebels new hope after a three-game losing streak, but LSU took its second loss and now has a slim chance of even winning the SEC West, much less contending for a national title.
No. 6 LSU vs. Ole Miss final score: Rebels knock off Tigers, 27-24
LSU joins the long list of BCS contenders to fall this weekend.
Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE
LSU’s offense took two and a half quarters to show any signs of life, and by the time they did, it was too little, too late. Punt. Interception. Punt. Interception. Interception. That was the size of LSU’s first half against Ole Miss. The same LSU offense that finished its first seven games with the second-best unit (by yards per play) in the new, high-flying SEC was looked like it might not ever show up in Oxford.
The Tigers then came out of the locker room at halftime and punted after a three-and-out offensive possession, and Ole Miss capitalized on Jamie Keehn’s 27-yard punt and a short, 49-yard field to push their lead to 17-0.
A 17-point deficit appeared to be just the wake-up call that the Tigers needed. LSU scored on its next possession to spark a 24-7 run, powered by the furious, punishing running of Jeremy Hill and Kenny Hilliard . The Tigers tied it up at 24 apiece on Zach Mettenberger's four-yard touchdown strike to Jarvis Landry with 3:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.
But that gave Bo Wallace and the Rebel offense just enough time to methodically march down the field to get in position for Andrew Ritter to attempt a 41-yard, game-winning field goal. After using their last timeout to center the ball in the middle of the field, and the kick sailed through the uprights with two seconds remaining.
Box Score Hero: Bo Wallace was 30 of 39 on the night for 345 yards passing.
Rankings Ramifications: LSU came into the game ranked 6th in the AP Top 25 and 8th in the Coaches’ Poll. With a lot of other teams losing, the blow might be softened, but the Tigers likely won’t be any higher than 13th. Ole Miss was unranked, but received a few votes. They might crack the polls next week.
But Did They Cover? LSU was favored to win by 10, but the margin doesn’t matter because the Tigers lost outright.
For More On This Game: For more on Rebels football, visit Ole Miss community Red Cup Rebellion, plus SEC community Team Speed Kills. For more on Tigers football, visit LSU community And The Valley Shook.
Next Week's Schedule: LSU welcomes the FCS Furman Paladins into Death Valley, and the Idaho Vandals travel to Oxford to play Ole Miss.
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