LSU started the game similarly to how it had in its first three games of SEC play, with a shaky play from Jayden Daniels offensively and overthrowing and under-throwing receivers, and the defense reeling against the pace and versatility of the Ole Miss offense.
Rebel quarterback Jaxson Dart outpaced Daniels 156-17 in the first quarter passing yardage on 90% completed passes, the primary reason why Ole Miss started the second quarter by taking a 17-3 lead.
That early, two-score deficit has become a familiar sight if you’ve been following LSU football this season. The feeling of this game was similar to the one fans had felt while watching the game against Tennessee.
Eventually, they adjusted. And it wasn’t too little too late, not even close.
Initial Comeback
It began on the ensuing drive, with Daniels getting it together after a shaky start to quickly lead his team down the field. Though his last throw of the drive stressed fans out, as it was underthrown into double coverage, Jaray Jenkins bailed him out by effectively coming back to the ball, securing the catch and waltzing into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown connection.
The next Ole Miss drive featured multiple risky throws by Rebel quarterback Jaxson Dart, indicating that he was feeling the pressure and foreshadowing the eventual interceptions that would come.
Usually when LSU has gone down early, it has taken until the end of the half for them to effectively respond. It had gotten its deficits against Mississippi State and Auburn down to one score on its last drives of the second half. The difference here was that it took less time to adjust, which gave them more time to build momentum throughout the remainder of the second quarter.
The Tigers were able to put up 14 second quarter points to temporarily tie the game, with Daniels’ confidence growing throughout the period. He would narrow the gap between his and Dart’s passing production considerably, before contributing his second touchdown of the day with his legs. That would give him seven rushing touchdowns in the season, tying the school record held by Joe Burrow.
After they tied the game, Ole Miss would quickly respond with a field goal, going into halftime with a 20-17 lead. Even then, LSU’s production in the second half had livened up the crowd, creating a very different feeling heading into the third quarter than the one fans had felt going into the second.
Last Chance for the Rebels
Midway through the third quarter, LSU was finally able to take its first lead of the game. Obviously a four-point lead doesn’t take a team out of the game but falling behind by multiple scores would be hard to come back from with the team bleeding momentum.
The Rebels effectively drove down the field, mostly on the back of freshman running back Quinshon Judkins, and were in position to take back the lead after making it into the red zone. But on second-and-goal from the nine yard line, the foreshadowing mentioned earlier was finally proven true.
Feeling the pressure from the LSU blitz, Dart threw an errant pass into double coverage in the right corner of the endzone. The throw was off-target and fell within the vicinity of Joe Foucha, who snagged it with one hand to kill the Rebels’ attempt at regaining the lead.
While that wasn’t technically the last chance Ole Miss had in this game, it was proven to be once LSU responded.
The Fourth Quarter
If the third quarter was where Ole Miss officially lost its momentum, the fourth quarter was where things completely fell apart.
On the offensive side of things, the Rebels weren’t able to get much going, with Dart being flustered by the defense’s adjustments. The coaching staff elected to be a bit more aggressive with its play calls and had Harold Perkins more involved in the second half to chase down Dart.
On defense, the Rebels completely imploded, giving up three more touchdowns to Daniels in the fourth quarter alone.
Daniels ultimately finished the game completing 75% of his passes to go and two touchdowns through the air with three more touchdowns on the ground, his second straight hat trick in that regard. He rushed 137 yards, headlining a rushing attack that had torched the Rebel defense for much of the last three quarters.
“The structure of their defense is a three down with six defensive backs,” Head Coach Brian Kelly said on how they rushed so effectively against Ole Miss. “When [Daniels] had three deep safeties, he was reading it out and keeping it. He was really good tonight at reading it out.”
LSU played perfectly through the last three quarters, which culminated in a staggering 45-3 run to finish the game after falling behind 17-3. It had its best performance of the season, taking the No. 1 spot in the SEC West with Alabama on its horizon.
