That was a wild one. No. 8 Ole Miss beat No. 7 LSU 32–24 on September 19 in Oxford, and it turned into a much closer game than it looked like it would be.
How the game unfolded
Ole Miss came out flying and led 10–0 after the first quarter.
The Rebels dominated the second quarter too, taking a 24–7 lead into halftime. They had 289 yards in the first half alone.
LSU completely changed the momentum after halftime. The Tigers scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter and tied the game 24–24 early in the fourth.
Then Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss took over. He scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 14-yard run with about 6½ minutes left, and Ole Miss converted the two-point attempt to make it 32–24.
LSU still had a chance to tie it. The Tigers drove all the way to the Ole Miss 6-yard line with just over a minute remaining.
On fourth down, Sam Leavitt's pass was tipped and intercepted by Ole Miss safety Jaylon Braxton in the end zone with 58 seconds left. That ended the comeback.
The big individual performance
Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss was the star. He completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for a touchdown. Traylon Ray had 7 catches for 115 yards and a TD.
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt had 158 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, but he also ran for 63 yards and a touchdown. Dilin Jones rushed for 106 yards and a TD.
The really interesting part
Ole Miss actually outgained LSU 426–330. So although LSU's second-half comeback made it look like the Rebels were hanging on by their fingernails, Ole Miss had the substantially better offensive production for the game.
And there was an enormous emotional angle: this was Lane Kiffin's first return to Oxford after leaving Ole Miss to become LSU's head coach. The Ole Miss crowd had been waiting nine months for this game, and the Rebels spoiled his return. AP described the atmosphere as especially intense.
The ending was particularly memorable: after the interception, Ole Miss celebrated with fireworks and played "Callin' Baton Rouge" over the stadium speakers.
So, in short: Ole Miss jumped all over LSU, nearly gave the game away when LSU stormed back from 24–7, then Chambliss and the Ole Miss defense made the decisive plays in the fourth quarter.
