GAME BLOG: LSU vs. Ole Miss

FINAL: LSU 41, Ole Miss 35

By CODY WORSHAM and RICHARD FISCHER
Tiger Rag Editor and Associate Editor

53 years ago, Billy Cannon took a punt back 89 yards in the fourth quarter versus Ole Miss.

Saturday, Odell Beckham Jr. fielded a boot at that same 11 yard line and ran 89 yards down that same east sideline into the north end zone to tie the game in the fourth quarter.

In the 1959 version of this rivalry, a low-scoring, 7-6 slug-fest, big plays were few and far between.

In this one, a 41-35 shootout featured several game-changing plays. More than just OBJ’s big punt return. Zach Mettenberger completed 22-of-37 passes for 282 yards, and even though he threw a pair of interceptions - his first turnovers since the South Carolina game more than a month ago - he was consistent and made several nice throws.

LSU didn’t exactly control the game on the ground, rushing for just 145 yards on 38 carries. However, as always, it got better as the game went on as the Tigers ran for 48 in the final frame after having 97 in the first three. LSU did run for four TDs, but they struggled to punch it in at times, settling for Drew Alleman field goals from 22 and 24 yards out.

On the other side of the ball, LSU’s pass defense struggled for the second consecutive game. Just like last week versus State, Ole Miss threw for more than three bills as Bo Wallace had 310 yards on 15-of-35 passing. He threw two touchdowns, but three picks was instrumental in costing the Rebels victory.

His favorite target was Donte Moncrief, who torched the Tigers for 161 yards and both of Wallace’s touchdowns on six receptions.

Below is Richard and Cody’s chronological blog.

That flew by.

Though it seems the season just began, the Tigers are just hours away from finishing the season’s home slate, as No. 7 LSU (8-2, 4-2) is ready to take on Ole Miss (5-5, 2-4) on Senior Day.

Today’s contest takes on added importance, considering that, technically, LSU is still in the chase for the SEC title. Should the Tigers must win their final two games today and Friday at Arkansas, there’s a mathematical chance they - and not Alabama - could represent the West in the SEC Championship on Dec. 1.

While it’s not outside the realm of possibility, such a scenario is unlikely, so the Tigers are instead focused on a possible BCS bowl game berth. The Tigers are in a good position to secure at-large bids to either the Fiesta Bowl or Rose Bowl if they win out, but of course they’ll need help to get there.

For now, it’s about taking care of business on their end, and LSU is prepared to do just that against Ole Miss. The Rebels are enjoying a resurgence under first year head coach Hugh Freeze, who has made a respectable side of last year’s SEC cellar-dweller.

The Rebels are led by sophomore quarterback Bo Wallace, who is coming off a 400-yard performance in a loss against Vanderbilt. He’ll want to take advantage of an LSU defense that surrendered over 300 yards to Mississippi State through the air last week.

Speaking of good quarterback play, LSU’s signal caller Zach Mettenberger will look to build on back-to-back home starts against Alabama and State in which he threw for more than 270 yards and completed more than 60% of his throws.

Expect LSU to pound the ball on the ground, however, and try to reestablish the run with their stable of capable backs. Jeremy Hill, Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, and Kenny Hilliard should all get ample opportunity to get work on the ground.

As always, associate editor Richard Fischer will take the offense and special teams updates once a quarter, while I’ll tackle the defense.

Stay tuned.

First quarter: Ole Miss 14, LSU 7:

Offensive notes:

First drive: Boone, OBJ, Copeland, Clement and Hill get the start. Ware comes in on third and 10, as does Landry and Wright in a 4-WR set. Tigers throw it three times out of the shoot and go three and out. Mett overthrows a closely-guarded OBJ on a bomb attempt, then Landry drops a third down pass that would have been short of a first down anyway.

Second drive: Shepard makes his first appearance here - on the backfield at RB. Dickson in at TE on third and long. Tigers run twice for one yard then a pressured Mett can’t complete third and nine. Another three and out. Line-up-everywhere-LB with the awesomely-named position of “Stinger” Denzel Nkemdiche was everywhere on that defensive stand. One yard for LSU on two possessions.

Third drive: LSU goes from one total yard to the end zone in a flash. Mett hits Wright for 48 yards on a go down the left flank. Then Hill takes it 27 yards up the middle for a touchdown on the very next play. Two-play scoring drive. Great and quick answer to Ole Miss’ score.

Fourth drive: LSU’s play action pays off as Mett hits a wide open Dickson for 30 yards and his first catch of the year. Tigers stall following a 10-yard swing pass to Ware and settle for a 48-yard FG attempt rather than go for a fourth and three from the 30.

Fifth drive: Tigers eek out a first down on three runs for exactly 10 yards. Mett throws behind Boone on the run for an incompletion then pressure forces Mett to get rid of the ball early for just one yard to Ware. Another punt.

Sixth drive: Following a brutal Ole Miss miscue on special teams, LSU powers it inside the five, but Ole Miss stands up Hill twice near the goal line. Tigers go to the second with third down and in striking distance.

Defensive notes:

First drive: LSU runs out Mingo, Downs, Aghayere, and Edwards on the front. The secondary and linebackers are all as expected in LSU’s base package. Collins subs on for Lamar Louis on the second play. Tigers do a nice job of crushing the pocket on second down. Montgomery comes on for Edwards, Logan for Aghayere on third down, and Logan immediately deflects the ball at the line to force a three and out.

Second drive: LSU’s first string D takes the field in a nickel package. Simon gets beat by Moncrieff on a go on the outside, but Wallace overthrows him. Ole Miss stays in their no-huddle, tempo offense. Randall Mackey picks up five on a sweep on second, a catches a swing for a first down on the next play. Ole Miss attacking LSU horizontally early, like Texas A&M. It works, as Wallace does his best Johnny Manziel impression and scampers 58 yards on a read option. Mingo bit on the fake, and missed tackles from Loston and Reid lead to the score.

Third drive: Ronald Martin comes in for Loston, as per usual on the tema’s third drive. Wallace promptly overthrows another receiver, as Moncrief once again beat Simon down field. Anthony Johnson gets his first snaps at DT, as well. LSU stuffs a run and gets good pressure to force a scrambling incompletion from Wallace for another three and out. Good response, but Simon needs to get it straight soon.

Fourth drive: Ego Ferguson on for his first snap of the game, and Edwards is back beside him on the right side of the line. Another sweep goes for 11 yards. LSU’s edge is struggling. Mingo jumps offside on the next play for the Tigers’ first penalty of the day. Aghayere comes in on third down, and Wallace exposes the LSU blitz. With pressure from Minter in his face, he hits Moncrief on a slant. Simon is beaten again, misses the tackle, and Moncrief outruns a poor angle from Reid to go 56 yards for the score.

Special teams notes:

Ford brings the opening kickoff out of the end zone and to the 22

Alleman misses a 48-yarder as he fails again to extend his career long.

Korvic Neat muffs a punt, recovered by Deion Jones at the Ole Miss 18. Awful blunder there for the Rebels.

Second Quarter

Offensive notes:

Sixth drive cont: Mett puts it in Landry’s hands in the end zone on third down, but Ole Miss defenders separate him from the ball. LSU settles for three.

Seventh drive: Following a Jalen Collins INT returned to the Ole Miss 36, Mett hits Ware for another first down. Then he spins his way for 14 yards to the eight. He powers it to the one before Copeland is stuffed on third down. Tigers go for it, and Ware leaps in. Dillon Gordon is the third TE in the goal line set.

Eighth drive: Mett hits Wright deep again, but a holding penalty on Lonergan brings it back. Mett gets crunched on an option keeper, and LSU goes three and out for the third time but first time since its second possession.

Ninth drive: With 41 seconds to go till half, Mett is sacked as Grant pushes Collins into him, and that ends any hope of a half-ending drive. Mett has completed 7-of-15 passes 107 yards. He hasn’t been as good as he’s been in the past two games, but he’s made good decisions and had a couple passes dropped by Landry. If his latest bomb to Wright would have held up, his stats would look much better and LSU would have another score on the board. LSU’s rushing attack has been largely tifled by Ole Miss with 67 yards on 22 carries. That’s just 3.0 yards per carry. However, I’d suspect that eventually the Rebel front seven will crack late in the contest.

Defensive notes:

Seventh drive:  Loston makes his return; Johnson and Logan pair at tackles; LSU forces third and four, and an Ole Miss false start brings out LSU’s Mustang package, with Micah Eugene in; Jalen Collins picks off Wallace, who underthrew his intended target. Collins grabbed the deflection and brought it back to the 37.

Eighth drive: Keke Mingo drops a surefire pick six, but he was offside, so it doesn’t matter. LSU in the nickel, but Eugene is nickel back and Mills at corner. No Collins after his pick. Ole Miss g iving a more mobile look at QB with Barry Brunetti rotating in. Rasco check in for first snap of game. It’s nothing but read option for Ole Miss, but they’re moving steadily. After five or so consecutive read options, Wallace checks back in on third and five and delivers a strike to Neat, but he drops it. Mississippi punts.

Ninth drive: Collins returns to corner in the nickel and promptly gets beat on the outside by Moncrief. Aghayere at tackle with Logan, Montgomery and Mingo at end. Loston at safety. Mills covers Logan nice in the slot to force 3^rd and 9. Eugene on for Aghayere on third in the Mustang. Moncrief finds the seam in the zone and picks up the first. LSU stays Mustang and Eugene hurries an incompletion from Wallace. Third down and 10, and Mingo comes off the edge to hit Wallace as he’s throwing. The ball flies out of his hands strangely but into Sanders’ hands for a weird seven yard completion. Ole Miss lines up to go for it on fourth, but calls a TO. Rebels come back on field to go for it, and LSU goes nickel with Mills, Eugene, and Simon. Logan catches the first down ball from Wallace for 20 yards, Eugene beaten. Loston beaten next by Logan in slot for 25 yards to Tiger 1 yard line, and Wallace sneaks it in from there. Impressive 97 yard, 11-play drive in 3:14.

The LSU defense has allowed 296 yards already. That’s 30 more than they’ve allowed per game all season. Not a good start. The secondary continues to look vulnerable, too, a week after Tyler Russell picked it apart.

Special teams notes:

Alleman makes a 23 yarder.

Hairston is kicking it short of the end zone on kickoffs, and it’s been successful. Tigers are making tackles well short of the 25.

Wing booms a punt 53 yards downed at the Ole Miss three.

Third quarter: Ole Miss 28, LSU 20

Offensive notes:

10th drive: Tigers get the ball in striking distance again following a Simon pick. Ford gets his first carry on a pitch and takes it 11 yards. Connor Neighbors begins the second half at FB - soon to be replaced by Copeland. Tigers get stuffed inside the five again, and Ole Miss’ coaches meet its defense at the numbers with exuberant congratulations for holding the Tigers to three following the turnover.

11th drive: Mett hits Dickson over the middle for 21 yards and his second receptions of the game and season on the first play. He then misses OBJ for a TD over the top but hits Boone for 22 yards and a first down on third and long. On third down at the Ole Miss eight, Mett throws a tailor-made pick in the end zone. Bad throw. Bad read. Possibly a miscommunications with Landry. And it keeps LSU from taking the lead on Alleman’s foot. That’s Mett’s first turnover since the South Carolina game more than a month ago.

12th drive: Two passes. Two picks for Mett. He goes deep intended for OBJ and Golson plucks it out of the sky. He brings it back to the LSU 38 and the Rebels are in business.

Defensive notes:

10th drive: Martin starting at safety, Downs and Logan on the line. Mongtomery opens the half with a sack of Wallace. Great penetration to force 2^nd and 15. Mills in at nickel, Simon and Collins at corner. Simon picks off Wallace on second down. Just a horrible throw, really.

11th drive: Johnson at DT, Martin back at safety; Brunetti in for Ole Miss in the read option offense, and LSU’s front stuffs two runs to force third and 5 and Wallace to the field. Moncrief gets open but drops the back shoulder toss. Three and out, again.

12th drive: Edwards in for Montgomery at DE, Ferguson in for Logan at DT. Loston back in at safety. Tigers in nickel with Collins, Mills, and Simon. Two penalties push Ole Miss back their five. Collins burned on outside by - who else? - Moncrief for 31 yard gain. Tigers can’t stop him tonight. Reid breaks up a pass and Loston collects the deflection for an interception.

13th drive: LSU brings back its nickel package; Sam and Johnson on for two plays, then on third down, LSU brings Montgomery, Edwards, and Mingo for the Mustang with Eugene. Eugene bites a pump fake from Wallace - a nice play - and Wallace scrambles for the first down. Back in the nickel with Logan on for Eugene. Simon breaks up a throw to the endzone on second down. Good coverage. Barrow makes a nice tackle on third down screen pass, tripping up Scott while being blocked to force 4^th and 3. Ole Miss goes for it; LSU stays in nickel package, and Mills beat over the middle in the slot by Logan for a first down on the slant. Brunetti in on second and goal, and he hands to Mackey for the score.

Special teams notes:

Alleman makes a 24 yarder.

Barrow gets a holding penalty on a kickoff, backing LSU up to the 12.

FINAL: LSU 41, Ole Miss 35

Offensive Notes:

12th drive: Tigers entered the drive 3-for-12 on third downs, but they converted two on the drive. One on a six-yard pass to Dickson and another on a plunge up the middle by Hill. Mett then hits Boone down to the one for 22 yards. Hill scores on the next play, and Miles decides to go for two to try to tie it at 28 with 11:39 to go. On the conversion, Mett hits a wide open Ware in the flat. Ole Miss couldn’t get out there fast enough in man coverage to cover him. Great drive that couldn’t have come at a better time.

13th drive: Mett takes a helmet to the chest and has to come out for a critical third and five. Looks like he just got the wind knocked out of him and he’ll be fine. Rivers comes in and delivers high to Landry for an incompletion. Horrible time for Mett to have to miss a play. Three and out.

14th drive: Mett back out there. He hits Landry, who shows great effort running for 30 yards, but he fumbles, recovered by Ole Miss’ Marry. Huge error there, and that’s LSU’s third giveaway of the game.

15th drive: Tigers get the ball with four and change remaining and the game tied following a missed Ole Miss FG. LSU bulldozes it for a first down. Mett hits Boone for a first down (on a free play that would have resulted in a first down by way of an Ole Miss offsides penalty anyway). LSU is really taking its time as it took three minutes off the game clock to get those two first downs. Roughing the passer on Nkemdiche gets LSU a first down at the 20. Hill takes a pitch down to the one, and now LSU can choose to all but clinch the game however it wants to (score a TD and give Ole Miss time or run the clock down and kick a short FG). Tigers choose to go for the TD, and Hill jumps over the top to give LSU the lead with 15 ticks to go.

Defensive notes:

10th drive: Martin starting at safety, Downs and Logan on the line. Mongtomery opens the half with a sack of Wallace. Great penetration to force 2^nd and 15. Mills in at nickel, Simon and Collins at corner. Simon picks off Wallace on second down. Just a horrible throw, really.

11th drive: Johnson at DT, Martin back at safety; Brunetti in for Ole Miss in the read option offense, and LSU’s front stuffs two runs to force third and 5 and Wallace to the field. Moncrief gets open but drops the back shoulder toss. Three and out, again.

12th drive: Edwards in for Montgomery at DE, Ferguson in for Logan at DT. Loston back in at safety. Tigers in nickel with Collins, Mills, and Simon. Two penalties push Ole Miss back their five. Collins burned on outside by - who else? - Moncrief for 31 yard gain. Tigers can’t stop him tonight. Reid breaks up a pass and Loston collects the deflection for an interception.

13th drive: LSU brings back its nickel package; Sam and Johnson on for two plays, then on third down, LSU brings Montgomery, Edwards, and Mingo for the Mustang with Eugene. Eugene bites a pump fake from Wallace - a nice play - and Wallace scrambles for the first down. Back in the nickel with Logan on for Eugene. Simon breaks up a throw to the endzone on second down. Good coverage. Barrow makes a nice tackle on third down screen pass, tripping up Scott while being blocked to force 4^th and 3. Ole Miss goes for it; LSU stays in nickel package, and Mills beat over the middle in the slot by Logan for a first down on the slant. Brunetti in on second and goal, and he hands to Mackey for the score.

14^th drive: Logan and Downs at tackle to start drive; Martin and Reid at safety; Collins promptly beat over the top for a 35-yard reception from Sanders. A drop and overthrow later, and it’s 3^rd and 10. Mingo jumps offside, and Wallace takes the free play to burn Simon for the 30 yard touchdown. Two completions go 65 yards for the touchdown. LSU’s secondary suffers on.

15^th drive: First string D out in the nickel set. Simon nearly picks off the first pass, but Moncreif makes a superb defensive play to break it up. Scott drops a screen pass on second down. Eugene on in the Mustang for third down. Wallace tries to scramble for the first, but Mingo eats it up.

16^th drive: Same unit out as last go round. Minter stuffs Wallace on a second down run to force 3^rd and 6. Downs off, Eugene on in Mustang, and Eugene knocks down the pass to force the punt. A welcome three and out.

17^th drive: First D back out there after Landry’s fumble. Logan wraps up for a sack, but there’s a flag for a facemask on Logan. Next play, great Ole Miss protection sets up a scrambling 37 yard completion to Mackey. Ferguson and Johnson come on and knock Scott down for a loss together. Freak follows up with a sack on second down, and Edwards gets one on third down. That went from a 35 yard FG attempt to 53 yarder thanks to those sacks, and he pushes it right.

18^th drive: LSU sends out a prevent defense with 12 ticks and 72 yards to defend. Meat drops a ball over the middle. Brunetti is chased out of bounds with 3 seconds left after a one yard gain. A wild hitch and lateral, followed by a few more laterals, goes nowhere after an illegal forward pass. Ball game.

Special teams notes:

A squib kick doesn’t work as Hairston kicks it out of bounds. Ole Miss goes on to score a touchdown on the possession. Odell Beckham Jr. takes a punt 89 yards to pay dirt to tie the game. Yep that’s 89 yards - just like Billy Cannon. Down the east sideline into the north end zone - just like Cannon. And with LSU trailing in the fourth quarter versus Ole Miss - just like Cannon. You can’t make this stuff up. Gotta give a shout out to LSU’s tremendous blocking on that return.

Tigers botch a PAT attempt with 15 seconds to go.

Good thing they didn’t set up a FG.