(Photo Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics)
It was a tough Saturday for Mississippi’s major-college teams, with Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss all falling in conference play.
LSU 29, Ole Miss 26:
Garrett Nussmeier was just 22-for-51 on the night, with two interceptions. But on his last two passes of the game, the LSU signal caller was perfect — 2-for-2, for two touchdowns and a come from behind victory over a conference rival on homecoming night in Death Valley.
On fourth-and-5, with just 27 seconds left in regulation, Nussmeier hit receiver Aaron Anderson for a 23-yard touchdown to tie the game and force overtime.
Moments later, after LSU forced the Rebels to kick a long field goal in the first overtime, Nussmeier tossed a 25-yard strike to receiver Kyren Lacy for the win.
LSU coach Brian Kelly remained unbeaten (13-0) in night games played at Baton Rouge, as his team improved to 5-1. Ole Miss fell to 5-2, with a 1-2 conference record. The pre-season expectation of a playoff berth is likely out of the picture at this point.
Ole Miss fans will long lament the points that were left on the field in this one, especially in the first quarter of what turned into a marathon contest. First, standout receiver Tre Harris, who had torched his defender down field, dropped what would have likely been a long touchdown pass. Then Caden Davis missed a chip shot field goal. After an interception deep in LSU territory, Ole Miss was unable to convert on a fourth down at the LSU five-yard-line.
A busy second quarter saw the Rebels take leads of 10-0 and 17-7 on scores by Ulysses Bentley (50 run) and Harris (15 catch), but they could never quite shake off the Tigers. A fumble by Henry Parrish with just seconds remaining in first half gave LSU an easy field goal.
Ole Miss (5-2) led 17-13 at halftime, but struggled to consistently move the ball in the second half after Harris left the game with an injury. Up 23-16 with about three minutes left, the Rebels defense could not stop LSU from moving the ball downfield on their final drive, which included two fourth down conversions.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart completed 24 of 42 passes for 284 yards. He had one touchdown pass and one interception.
Ole Miss wound up with 464 yards of total offense, including 180 yards rushing. But they also absorbed 12 penalties for 110 yards and Dart was sacked a career-high six times. In both the Kentucky game, and now, the LSU contest, Ole Miss’ rebuilt offensive line looked pedestrian. LSU had 421 total yards, with six penalties for 45 yards.
Ole Miss got the ball first in overtime and spent too much time moving backward on penalties before the Rebels’ fourth field goal of the the night from Caden Davis, for a career-best 57 yards.
Nussmeier wasted no time in crafting a response, zipping the 25-yard pass to Kyren Lacy on their first offensive play to end the game, leading to pandemonium on the field at Death Valley.
It was the only time LSU led in the game.
Ole Miss gets a week off before welcoming new SEC member Oklahoma to Oxford. Not all scheduling details are known but it will apparently be an “early” kick – either 11 a.m. or noon, depending on the network.
Georgia 41, Mississippi State 31:
The MSU Bulldogs (1-5), who came into the road game as huge underdogs, never quit. But they are clearly several weapons away from being seriously competitive in the SEC, especially on defense.
MSU trailed 27-10 at halftime and 34-10 early in the third quarter but the ensuing storyline was familiar, as the Bulldogs came back to give the fifth-ranked home team a real battle.
Georgia improved to 5-1.
Freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren, making his second career start, stepped up for the visiting Bulldogs with 306 yards and three touchdowns on 20 of 37 passing with one interception. But Georgia senior Carson Beck delivered with a career-high 459 yards and three TDs of his own as his team picked up its 28th consecutive home victory. Georgia visits top-ranked Texas this week.
Mississippi State came into the game with the SEC’s worst statistical defense and Georgia gashed it for 605 total yards – with 146 rushing – and easily survived a couple of turnovers.
The Georgia Dogs settled things with a 16-play drive, capped by Trevor Etienne’s 1-yard run on fourth down, to make it 41-24 with 3:33 left in the game.
In a bizarre twist, the biggest hit Van Buren took during the game — or at least the most memorable — might have been from Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart, who shoved the Bulldogs’ quarterback out of his way on the sideline while jawing at the referees.
Texas A&M visits Starkville this week for a 3:15 p.m. kickoff.
Louisiana-Monroe 38, Southern Miss 21:
A tough season for the Golden Eagles (1-5) continued with a road loss in Louisiana.
Southern Miss trailed 14-6 at halftime before the surprising Warhawks (5-1) took control. Sophomore QB Aidan Armenta threw a 6-yard touchdown to Julian Nixon early in the fourth quarter and then added a 4-yard TD run about five minutes later.
Ahmad Hardy had a dandy game for the hosts with 121 rushing yards and a TD on 15 carries and also added 53 receiving yards.
Sophomore QB Ethan Crawford triggered most of the Southern Miss offense, completing 9 of 26 passes for 165 yards and rushing 17 times for 70 more.
Louisiana-Monroe outgained Southern Miss 432-347, averaging 5.9 yards per carry for 246 rushing yards. Southern Miss turned the football over twice.
Southern Miss celebrates homecoming this week against Arkansas State with a 6 p.m. kickoff.
