In honor of Tiger Stadium’s centennial, LSU treated its fans to a healthy serving of what the program has long been known for until recent years: bad offense.
The defensive side of the ball for the Tigers had its most impressive day of an otherwise questionable year. Conversely, LSU’s offense ran into frequent mishaps, which was uncharacteristic as it’s been the strength of the team.
When it came down to it, though, LSU’s offense came through for an electric 29-26 win over No. 9 Ole Miss in overtime in Death Valley.
Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw a 25-yard dart to senior wideout Kyren Lacy to give LSU the win after successfully holding Ole Miss to a field goal in the first possession of overtime.
“I wasn’t thinking about nothing but catching that ball,” Lacy said. “Just a moment I’ll never forget in my life.”
The throw was an example of the electric connection Nussmeier and Lacy have had all year, but that kind of offensive firepower was dormant for much of the game, including on LSU’s game-tying drive in the final minute of regulation.
It was far from methodical. It was a painful, slogging drive in which LSU faced fourth down twice and Nussmeier was 4-of-11 on his passes. He was lucky on several occasions to get the ball back on risky throws.
The three-minute drive ended with a 23-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Aaron Anderson, tying the game at 23-23 and sending it to overtime.
Even though LSU’s offense had the last word, most of this game was defined by the two defenses.
That was unexpected in a matchup that featured the SEC’s top two passing offenses. Not to mention, last year’s edition of the Magnolia Bowl was a 55-49 track race won by Ole Miss. It wouldn’t have surprised anyone if that had been the case again.
At the end of the day, Nussmeier and the offense had just enough juice and maturity to overcome their earlier struggles.
“I thought [Nussmeier] grew more today than at any time that he’s been here,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “That was a growth game for him.”
Nussmeier wasn’t his usual sharp self on Saturday, finishing with two interceptions and a 43.1% completion percentage despite throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns. This season, he leads the SEC in touchdown passes and is second in passing yards.
However, Saturday was a demonstration of the worst of Nussmeier’s tendencies. Ever since he was deemed the successor to last year’s Heisman winner, Jayden Daniels, it’s been clear that the key to maximizing his skillset is reining in his aggressiveness.
“I probably had one of the worst games of my career tonight,” Nussmeier said. “I think the best part about that is I get to learn from it, and we got a win.”
Nussmeier’s habit of making risky plays downfield was on full display against Ole Miss, with several dropped picks and lots of underthrown deep passes.
Perhaps the most costly mistake of his was a fourth quarter interception the play directly after senior cornerback Zy Alexander came up with an acrobatic interception in the end zone to give LSU the ball.
The Tigers’ offensive play calling also left a lot to be desired, as the offense heavily leaned on long-developing plays and taking shots downfield rather than short passes to get Nussmeier into the rhythm that he was missing.
That was due in part, though, to LSU’s inability to get anything going up front and in the running game. The Tigers had only 84 rushing yards for an average of 3.5 yards.
All told, LSU’s offense had two turnovers and five penalties, converted 37.5% of its third downs and settled for three field goals.
Ole Miss’ defense is much improved from last year, which accounts in part for why LSU’s offense faced such an uphill battle.
Last year, the Rebels had many of the same issues as LSU, as evidenced by the 2023 shootout in Oxford.
This season, the Rebels led the nation in sacks entering the game. That ended up not playing much of a factor, as LSU held them sackless.
However, Ole Miss’ pass defense downfield and rush defense were both seemingly impenetrable for much of the game, which presented a much different challenge for LSU than last year’s matchup.
The two defenses dueled in the first quarter. The game had all the classic suspense of wondering who would break through the opposing vaunted defense first, and that only enhanced by a raucous Tiger Stadium crowd.
LSU made improbable stop after improbable stop in the early going, including a 4th-and-1 stuff on the Tigers’ own five-yard line.
“They never blinked,” Kelly said. “Just getting them locked in and focused on what’s important — they’re so much better at that than they were in Week 1.”
Ole Miss’ first quarter mistakes also contributed to the early stalemate, as the team dropped what would’ve been an early touchdown, missed a 32-yard field goal and drew an untimely holding penalty in the red zone.
LSU’s defensive excellence paused in spectacular fashion as a 4th-and-inches run by Ulysses Bentley IV slipped past the Tigers for a 49-yard touchdown run to put the Rebels up 10-0.
The teams traded scores on the next three drives, and the Rebels took a 17-13 lead into the half.
Until its final drive of regulation, LSU’s offense mustered only three points in the second half.
