In a game where you can feel the hostility and the hatred brewing within the stadium, every point and opportunity matters.
On a play that looked to be a touchdown to give the Rebels the lead in the second quarter, safety AJ Haulcy did his best Charles Tillman impression and punched the ball out near the goal line. Whit Weeks jumped on it in the end zone, and it was a momentum-changing fumble recovery for the Tigers.
LSU led 7-3 at the time, but Ole Miss was gaining rhythm on offense. If the pass was caught by wide receiver Cayden Lee, that would’ve put the Rebels inside the 5-yard line. The punch out by Haulcy saved the Tigers that time.
Not only was it a big play to prevent points added to the board, but it also made up for the costly interception that quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw on the previous drive that potentially made it a two-score game for the Tigers. The play by Haulcy kept the Rebels off the board and killed any momentum.
Whichever team takes advantage of mistakes or big plays is often the one to win the game. For the Tigers, it wasn’t them. Ole Miss defended its home turf with a 24-19 win over LSU.
The LSU offense in the first half was nothing more than inconsistent. Plays such as the 50-yard reception to Zavion Thomas and the tipped touchdown catch by Nic Anderson showed flashes of what the offense could be for the rest of the year.
However, with drives no longer than five plays and Ole Miss having 49 total plays in comparison to LSU’s 24, the offense was once again depending on the defense.
“We didn’t play complementary football, which you have to do in this league,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “You have to be able to complete your offense and defense, and we were out of sync with that.”
But once again, the defense delivered.
The unit forced a punt on the Rebels’ first drive out of halftime after the offense had to punt on its first drive. LSU responded by adding three to the board to make it a one-possession game at 17-10.
It was an overall good performance from the defense, which was out on the field for the majority of the game. But like any defense, if it’s out there for too long, it gets worn out.
It did its job for most of the game and held an Ole Miss offense that averages 44.8 points per game to 24 points and forced two turnovers, including an interception by cornerback PJ Woodland in the third quarter that gave LSU the football on the Rebels’ 47-yard line.
Despite the great field position, LSU only came away with another field goal to make it 17-13. Points are what you need when you enter enemy territory, but field goals won’t cut it.
The Tigers had two chances to make it a different ball game, yet the offense could only muster up field goals on the road, even with the defense keeping LSU in the game.
While the LSU offense started to pick things up in the second half, the number of missed opportunities started to pile up and eventually came back to haunt the Tigers.
A drained and exhausted defense was relied on to make the final stop of the game to give the LSU offense a sliver of hope near the end, but an easy, wide-open throw to Dae’Quan Wright was all Trinidad Chambliss needed to get first down. With 1:37 left on the clock, the Rebels iced the game and solidified LSU’s first loss of the season.
The Tigers not only didn’t take advantage of opportunities but also gave them away.
Nussmeier threw a pick in Ole Miss territory in the second quarter, eliminating any chance for points and extending the lead.
A game that’s won and lost just by a few plays was decided when the Tigers couldn’t produce the game-winning plays that they needed.
“This team has to click on all cylinders, and we’re not clicking on all cylinders right now,” Kelly said. “I believe in this team, I love this group, they’re real good football players, but we’ve got to complete them on a day-to-day basis.”
