Rebel Reset: No. 20 Ole Miss pulls off win over No. 13 LSU in thriller

Lane Kiffin might have crafted his best drive as the Ole Miss head coach and it came at biggest moment of his Rebels tenure.

Down two points and needing only a field goal to re-take the lead Kiffin opted his offense keep going and Jaxson Dart found Tre Harris for the 13-yard touchdown and then it came down to the Ole Miss defense.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels made one last throw into the endzone time expired but it fell incomplete in the end zone and the No. 20-ranked Rebels knocked off No. 13 LSU in what can be considered that signature win Kiffin has been mission on his Ole Miss resume.

Defense was completely optional and basically null and void on Saturday. Both offenses combined for 1,343 total yards of offense and 14 touchdowns in what was billed as a potential shootout leading up to this week’s game.

Dart had 389 passing yards and four touchdown passes. The Ole Miss run game surpassed 300 yards for the second time this season as Quinshon Judkins rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown, his best effort of the season.

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FINAL: OLE MISS 55, LSU 49

LSU 49, Ole Miss 47 5:06 4Q

Ole Miss marches down the field and scores on a keeper by Dart. The extra point try is good. One score down out of the two needed.

LSU 49, Ole Miss 40 8:34 4Q

The worst-case scenario for Ole Miss not getting the two-point conversion happens as Daniels connects with Thomas for a third time on a 34-yard pass. Now the Rebels have eight minutes to score twice and keep LSU from doing so.

Daniels is having his best night of the season with 350 passing yards and four touchdowns. All four TD passes have been perfect catches by his receivers. Hard to fault the Ole Miss defenders on them.

The first iffy 4th down situation for Ole Miss and Kiffin opted to go for it. Dart’s pass was batted immediately and it is a turnover on downs.

LSU ball at their 45.

LSU forced to punt the ball for the first time since its first possession of the game. Ole Miss defense got flagged for running into the punter but Kelly declined the flag.

LSU 42, Ole Miss 40 14:13 4Q

Judkins have his best game of the season, up to 134 yards and a touchdown. He scores on an 11-yard run. Kiffin opts to go for two now and tie things up but the attempt was failed.

Massive gut check for the defense now as a touchdown would make it a two-possession deficit late with the clock not the Rebels friend at this point.

END OF THE 3RD QUARTER: LSU 42, OLE MISS 34

Jaxson Dart has put the team on his back multiple times this season and that was another example. He goes 27 yards up the middle on a 1st & 19 to close out the quarter with some momentum for the Rebels.

Dart’s mom isn’t going to like that hurdle, though.

LSU 42, Ole Miss 34 3:41 3Q

Why a field goal felt like a punt for LSU, the Ole Miss defense cannot get off the field and Daniels is just slicing them up. A 12-yard run by Diggs give the Tigers their largest lead of the night.

LSU 35, Ole Miss 34 8:20 3Q

Once again a holding penalty potentially takes four points off the board for Ole Miss as the offense stalls because of it. Caden Davis nails a 48-yard field goal to get the Rebels back to within a point.

At this point forcing field goal is just as good as a punt for LSU. The Ole Miss defense has to get a stop here.

LSU 35, Ole Miss 31 11:30 3Q

The Ole Miss defense just has no answer for Daniels since the end of the first quarter. Some penalties aided in the Tigers scoring drive, which Daniels capped with a 1 yard run up the middle.

Gut check time for the Rebels offense.

HALFTIME: OLE MISS 31, LSU 28

Ole Miss was forced to punt and the defense managed to hold LSU to a field goal try of their own. Only difference was the Tigers missed their 56-yard attempt. Rebels maintain the lead at intermission.

1st Half Stats:

Ole Miss 31, LSU 28 :58 2Q

Daniels is just throwing perfect passes to the corner of the end zone and his recievers are making perfect catches. Rebels defended it well but Kyren Lacy hauls in a 29-yard catch for the score.

There has been a combined eight touchdowns and 738 total yards of offense by these teams in nearly 30 minutes of play.

Ole Miss 31, LSU 21 1:42 2Q

Holding penalties are killer and it potentially robbed Ole Miss of four more points on that drive. A hold by Victor Curne back up Ole Miss after A Judkins run got inside the Tigers 5 yard-line. Tigers defense holds and forces Caden Davis to attempt a 28-yard field goal, which he converts.

It was not a punt, but it was the first kind of stop by either defense in a quite some time this half.

Ole Miss 28, LSU 21 4:30 2Q

The Ole Miss secondary is starting to look not much better as Daniels is carving it up this quarter. He hits Thomas in the back corner of the endzone on a 11-yard pass for his second touchdown catch of the game.

Someone’s defense is going to have to find away to make back-to-back stops, or just one stop, eventually.

Ole Miss 28, LSU 14 8:10 2Q

Yeah the LSU secondary leaves a lot to be desired. The Ole Miss offense is making it look silly as Dart hits a wide open Dayton Wade for the 15-yard touchdown pass.

Judkins looking much better this week as he has his longest run of the season, going for 37 yards on a carry. He is up to 78 yards through a quarter and a half.

Ole Miss 21, LSU 14 12:46 2Q

Jayden Daniels kept the Tigers in this early on his own. After Khari Coleman sacked Daniels for a loss of seven yards Daniels responded the very next play with a 55 yard run. LSU scored two plays layer as Logan Diggs ran for the last 10 yards to the end zone.

The Ole Miss defense has LSU dead to rights with the moment following the sack, but cannot give up the big run like that. Spying Daniels may have to be the play moving forward.

END OF THE 1ST QUARTER: OLE MISS 21, LSU 7

Ole Miss has more than doubled its point total from a week ago and needed only 15 minutes to do so. This is an energized and motivated offense this week.

Dart has 134 yards and two touchdowns. Bently has 45 yards and a touchdown on two carries while Judkisn has 37 yards on eight carries.

Ole Miss 21, LSU 7 :12 1Q

Well the LSU secondary is as poorly advertised.

Dart hits Jordan Watkins for a 63-yard touchdown pass up the middle and he was off to the races as soon as he caught it. Rebels with breathing room again.

Ole Miss 14, LSU 7 1:25 1Q

The shootout might now be underway.

LSU responds in a big way with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to Brian Thomas, Jr. Tigers needed only six plays and Daniels had a lot of success through the air that drive.

Ole Miss 14, LSU 0 4:00 1Q

It took only three plays for Ole Miss to cash in on the Daniels fumble with 43-yard run by Bentley for the touchdown. This offense looks much better than it did a week ago. A few more wrinkles.

Daijahn Anthony levels Jayden Daniels, causing a fumble that Trey Washington recovers, halting a Tigers drive that was moving downfield. Rebels are in business.

A hold by Judkins set the offense back and could not overcome it after Dart had a pass batted down. Three and out for the Rebels who punt.

A deep pass from Jayden Daniels that went incomplete was followed by a short run and then a deflected pass to force a punt by the Ole Miss defense. Tigers managed four plays its first drive.

Ole Miss 7, LSU 0 10:25 1Q

That was beautiful touch by Dart on a four-yard pass to Quinshon Judkins on fourth down for the touchdown. The entire drive was very good by Ole Miss, including getting the run game going.

Judkins had five carries for 27 yards and the offensive line got some push. Best they have looked this season.

Pregame Observations

Tre Harris, Caden Prieskorn and Zakhari Franklin are dressed out for a second straight week.

LSU won the toss and deferred to the second half. Ole Miss and its, hopefully healthy, offense goes first.

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The fifth week of the season is a crucial one for No. 20 Ole Miss and while the coach speak is taking over it is the most important game of the season.

Coming off the loss at Alabama the chance to come up for air is not an option for the Rebels (3-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) with No. 13 LSU (3-1, 2-0) in town this weekend.

Much has been made of last year’s Ole Miss team and how it did not handle the first taste of adversity well after a 7-0 start and sitting within reach of a potential Top 5 ranking. Instead the Crimson Tide handed them a November loss and the wheels came off.

The Tigers offer the opportunity to not only get into the win column in SEC play and keep all goals in front of them, but the Rebels can also show proof of concept in being more mature in the face of a setback this fall.

The Ole Miss offense is still searching for its run game after a sluggish start through the first third of the season. Quinshon Judkins showed some life against Alabama last week, running the hardest he has all season but still recovering from a rib injury suffered late in the game at Tulane.

Head coach Lane Kiffin is also aware of the urgency in needing the rushing attack to find itself.

“That would obviously be a big key to our success, getting our ground game going,” Kiffin said on ‘Reb Talk’ this week. “Two weeks ago it was pretty good, 300 yards against Georgia Tech. But other than that it’s not been very good this year. That’s been a staple since we’ve been here more than anything. Passing, defense, special teams. It’s been running the football. It’ll come and needs to come this Saturday.”

Keep this page open and stick with The Ole Miss Spirit as it will serves as the live updates for today’s game. That includes score updates, stats, highlights and quarter recaps which will be found here throughout the afternoon.

Ole Miss (3-1, 0-1) and LSU (3-1, 2-0) kickoff at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN.