How It Happened: No. 13 LSU Takes Down No. 9 Ole Miss in 29-26 Overtime Classic

Brian Kelly and Co. battle back down the stretch, take down a Top 10 foe in Tiger Stadium.

Sep 28, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver Aaron Anderson (1) celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) against the South Alabama Jaguars during the first quarter at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

BATON ROUGE – LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier found junior receiver Kyren Lacy in the south end zone for a 25-yard touchdown to win the game for No. 13 LSU, 29-26 in overtime, over No. 9 Ole Miss on Saturday night in Death Valley.

On a perfect autumn night when LSU celebrated 100 Years of Tiger Stadium, Lacy’s catch on the first play of the Tigers’ OT possession gave LSU its first lead of the game following Ole Miss placekicker Caden Davis’ stadium-record 57-yard field goal in the Rebels’ OT possession.

The sell-out crowd of 102,212 stormed the field and the Golden Band from Tigerland played into the night, as the Tigers won for the 14th-straight time in Death Valley.

With the win, the Tigers improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play.

LSU returns to action next Saturday in Fayetteville to face Arkansas in the Battle for the Boot. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Both teams started the game with three-and-outs on offense. Two plays into Ole Miss’ drive, a false start was called, a penalty that could be credited to the loud and rowdy LSU crowd.

On 3rd-down-and 7 from midfield, Tre Harris III rushed for a 17-yard gain to the LSU 36, giving the Rebels a fresh set of downs in Tiger territory. On 3rd-and-4 from the LSU 30, Ulysses Bentley IV rushed for a gain of 10 to the LSU 20.

On 4th-and-5 from the 22, Caden Davis’ 32-yard field goal attempt was wide right and no good, giving LSU the ball back in a turnover on downs.

With 6:15 to play in the first quarter, Nussmeier’s pass to Durham was tipped and intercepted by Jamarious Brown. The Rebels took over at the LSU 13. 

On 4th-and-1 from the LSU 4, a quick snap to running back Henry Parrish Jr. was stuffed behind the line to gain by Bradyn Swinson, forcing a turnover a downs.

Pinned deep into their own end zone, Nussmeier found Kyren Lacy over the middle of the field for a 25-yard pick up, bringing the ball to the LSU 30. However, on 3rd-and-10 from the 40, Nussmeier’s pass intended for Lacy was broken up to force an LSU punt.

On 2nd-and-12 from their own 15, Dart found Harris III for a 47-yard completion over the middle of the field, advancing the ball to the LSU 38. On 3rd-and-7, from the LSU 35, Dart scrambled left for a gain of three yards, before being taken down by Greg Penn III. On 4th-and-4 from the LSU 32, Davis’ 49-yard attempt was good, giving Ole Miss the lead at 3-0 with 14:55 to play in the half.

On 3rd-and-13 from the LSU 36, Nussmeier found Lacy for a 18-yard connection over the middle of the field, advancing the ball to the LSU 46 yard line. However, on 4th-and-2, Kaleb Jackson was brought down for a loss of two for a turnover on downs at the Ole Miss 41.

On the next possession, Bentley IV extended the Ole Miss lead with a 50-yard touchdown run with 8:39 remaining in the first half.

The LSU offense finally was able to get some rhythm going late in the second quarter. Nussmeier completed passes of 17, 21 28 and 12 to get into the end zone, capping off a six play, 75-yard scoring drive that culminated with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier to freshman tight end Trey’Dez Green.

Nuss’ 16th touchdown pass of the season cut the deficit to 10-7 with 5:33 to play in the half.

With Ole Miss driving deep into LSU territory, Dart found Harris III for a miraculous touchdown grab for a 15-yard score over the top of Major Burns, extending the Rebel lead to 17-7 with 1:42 to play in the half.

Damian Ramos’ 33-yard field goal attempt was good before the half, cutting the deficit to 17-10 with 34 seconds to play in the half. It capped off a 59-yard drive on eight plays that spanned one minute and eight seconds.

The half wasn’t over just yet. On 1st-and-25 from the Ole Miss 25, Dart’s pass to Parrish was fumbled (caused by Whit Weeks) and recovered by freshman defensive tackle Dominick McKinley at the Rebel 28. 

The Tigers were able to take advantage and get points before the half as Ramos’ 47-yard attempt was good, inching LSU closer at 17-13 with five seconds left in the half.

LSU’s defense opened the second half with an impressive stop, forcing a 3rd-and-37 from the Ole Miss 35, which culminated in a punt. Swinson continued to be a force to be reckoned with in the trenches as one of the nation’s premier pass rushers.

On the next offensive possession, Nussmeier found Aaron Anderson with a big 46-yard gain to advance the ball to the Ole Miss 30-yard line. However, an incompletion on third down caused the Tigers to attempt a 46-yard field goal from Ramos, which was pushed wide right to keep the game at 17-13 with 7:17 to play in the third.

Davis’ 35-yard field goal attempt was good, extending the Ole Miss lead to 20-13 with 4:41 to play in the quarter.

LSU’s offense continued to be in attack mode as Nussmeier found Josh Williams for a short pass that went for 16 yards down the east sideline to the Ole Miss 46. Two plays later, a roughing the passer call on Walter Nolan moved the ball down to the Ole Miss 28. However, on 3rd-and-6 from the Rebel 24, Nussmeier’s pass to Thomas fell incomplete in the back of the end zone, forcing a field goal attempt

Ramos’ 41-yard field goal was good to make it 20-16 with 1:10 remaining in the third quarter.

On 1st-and-25 from the LSU 35, Dart’s pass was intercepted by Zy Alexander, who fell into the end zone for a touchback. The Rebels were threatening and poised to go up two possessions before Alexander made the consequential play.

However, on 1st-and-10 from the LSU 25, Nussmeier’s pass intended for Lacy was underthrown and intercepted by Amos at the Ole Miss 39.

The LSU defense continued to play their tails off as Swinson, on 3rd-and-10, sacked Dart for a loss of nine, forcing a punt at the Rebel 30.

On 4th-and-5 from the LSU 19, Davis’ 37-yard attempt was good to extend the Rebels’ lead to 23-16 with 3:14 to play in the game.

With their backs against the wall, LSU’s offense came up big when they needed it most with a 13-play, 75-yard drive, spanning just under three minutes. On 4th-and-5 from the Ole Miss 23, Nussmeier found Aaron Anderson over the middle of the field for a 23-yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 23 with 27 seconds to play, which would ultimately send the game into overtime.

In overtime, the LSU defense forced yet another stop, holding the Rebels to a whopping 57-yard field goal from Davis to give Ole Miss the 26-23 lead for a short period before Nussmeier’s game-winning pass to Lacy to seal it as fans rushed the field in a fitting end on Tiger Stadium’s 100th birthday.

The greatest venue in sports delivered again. It Never Gets Old.

(Via LSU Release)

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