By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
OXFORD, Mississippi – LSU and Ole Miss switched places in the Associated Press poll on Sunday after the No. 4 Tigers fell 24-19 to the No. 13 Rebels here Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) dropped to No. 13, while the Rebels (5-0, 3-0 SEC) are at No. 4 for their highest ranking since 2015.
“No complementary football,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said after the game. “When our offense started to move, our defense couldn’t make a stop.”
LSU falls at Ole Miss, 24-19, and Garrett Nussmeier still looks hurt:https://t.co/f84PNsedy6
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) September 27, 2025
It was just the opposite in the first half. LSU’s defense forced two three-and-outs to open the game, but had to stay on the field for 50 plays while the offense struggled after taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Ole Miss took a 17-7 lead at the half.
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier continued to struggle with his abdomen injury from August and was frequently off target and threw a critical interception early in the second quarter after LSU reached a first down at the Ole Miss 29 with a 7-3 lead.
Nussmeier and the offense improved in the second half but was held to a pair of field goals and a 17-13 deficit in the third quarter.
Then the Rebels went up 24-13 and hung on. LSU cut it to 24-19 at the five-minute mark, but Ole Miss possessed the ball the rest of the game. Ole Miss ended up putting a whopping 480 yards on LSU’s defense, which came into the game No. 17 in the nation in total defense with 246.3 yards given up a game.
Nussmeier completed 21 of 34 passes for a career-low 197 yards.
“Our inability to sustain anything on offense hurt us,” Kelly said.
AARON ANDERSON LEFT GAME WITH ELBOW INJURY
Nussmeier was without one of his favorite targets the last two seasons in the second half. Junior wide receiver Aaron Anderson injured his right elbow in the first half and did not return after making two catches for 12 yards. He is second on the team with 23 receptions for 305 yards this season. He led the Tigers with 61 catches and 884 yards last year.
LSU also couldn’t run the ball well, managing just 57 yards on 22 carries. The Tigers converted only two of 11 third downs.
This is not the same Garrett Nussmeier who routinely threw for 300 yards a game last season. Column:https://t.co/apCyYnE6gt
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) September 28, 2025
“This team has to click on both sides of the ball,” Kelly said. “I believe in this team. They’re really good football players, but we’ve got to play complementary football.”
LSU gets a much needed open date this week before hosting South Carolina (3-2, 1-2 SEC) on Saturday, Oct. 11, at a time to be determined. The Gamecocks beat Kentucky, 35-13, on Saturday.
Ohio State remained No. 1 in the poll, followed by Oregon and Miami. Oklahoma is No. 5 with Texas A&M, Penn State, Indiana, Texas and Alabama completing the top 10. The Crimson Tide (3-1) jumped seven spots after beating No. 5 Georgia, 24-21, on the road. The Bulldogs dropped to No. 12.
Texas Tech is at No. 11. Iowa State and Tennessee were at Nos. 14 and 15. The rest of the top 20 had Vanderbilt at No. 16, Georgia Tech at No. 17, Florida State at No. 18, Missouri at No. 19 and Michigan at No. 20.
The bottom five was Notre Dame, Illinois, BYU, Virginia and Arizona State.
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