By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
The Curse continues.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning, like his father Eli before him at Ole Miss in 2001, and like his grandfather Archie before him at Ole Miss in 1968, stuck a dagger in the heart of LSU at Tiger Stadium, but this time and twisted it for a 22-21 win in front of 102,321 on Saturday night.
And this one hurts the most as LSU led from the second quarter on before Manning threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to running back Raleek Brown with :03 remaining for the win. And the painful twist is that the loss eliminates the No. 21 Tigers (6-4, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) from any College Football Playoff consideration with the fourth loss of the season as No. 6 Texas (8-2, 5-2 SEC) remains on its way.
So the great Lane Kiffin, who came to the Tigers as head coach last Nov. 30 with comparisons to Nick Saban and the promise of national championships – or at least the playoffs – finds himself playing for an insignificant bowl.
“It’s really discouraging,” Kiffin said. “Obviously, really disappointed fresh off it.”
LSU’s loss to Eli Manning and Ole Miss by 35-24 in 2001 and to Archie Manning and Ole Miss by 27-24 in 1968 weren’t nearly as costly as this. But Archie and Ole Miss’ 26-23 win in 1969 in Jackson, Mississippi, did give LSU its only loss in a 9-1 season and cost it a shot at the national championship. This one keeps LSU out of the CFP for the seventh straight year, and all the talk of Kiffin’s No. 1-ranked transfer portal class of 42 players bringing home a national title is a joke now.
America will be laughing at Kiffin and LSU for the next year or so now – or at least until LSU somehow finally makes a playoff. And those will include 24 teams next year, so there’s that.
The Kiffin era is already in ashes and is destined to finish not much better than the 7-6 and 3-5 season of last year. So nothing’s “just different” at LSU now as Kiffin teased since his opening press conference last December.
“Really disappointing to be up two scores in teh game and not be able to close it out,” Kiffin said.
LSU took a 21-10 lead with 5:52 to play in the third quarter on a 44-yard touchdown run by running back Dilin Jones and held the Longhorns without a touchdown until the final three seconds.
Texas crept back into the game on a 41-yard field goal by Gianni Spetic with 1:35 left in the third quarter for a 21-13 deficit. He then booted a 50-yard field goal to get the Longhorns within 21-16 with 11:37 to play in the game.
LSU, which has been the case in the three previous losses, couldn’t finish off its opponent when it really needed to do so once again. And Manning took over at his 42-yard line with 2:19 to play. He drove the Longhorns 58 yards in 12 plays for the win.
For a moment, it looked LSU had won as cornerback DJ Pickett forced a fumble from Texas wide receiver Ryan Wingo with 13 seconds to play at the LSU 11-yard line. LSU players leaped into the air as officials ruled the fumble and “First down LSU.”
But, alas, a review ensued and Wingo was clearly down before the fumble.
Four plays later on second and goal from the LSU 4-yard line, Brown suddenly went in motion left. And no LSU defender adjusted enough to get him covered. And Manning hit him perfectly for the touchdown.
Manning threw three interceptions, but he had enough to overcome it. He completed 19 of 35 passes on the night for 174 yards and the one touchdown.
“Credit to Texas for driving down and winning it at the end of the game,” Kiffin said. “I’m disappointed for our players and fans.”
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt also threw three interceptions. He completed 27 of 37 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, and two of those picks came in the red zone.
LSU led 14-10 at the half on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Leavitt to wide receiver Jackson Harris with 9:17 left in the second quarter. LSU defensive back Ty Benefield set up that touchdown with an interception of Manning and a 31-yard return to the Texas 7-yard line. Harris also caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Leavitt at the 5:16 mark of the first quarter to tie the game 7-7.
The Tigers could have led by 10 more points at halftime as they reached a first down on the Texas 13-yard line on a 26-yard completion from Leavitt to Harris in the second quarter. But on second-and-nine, Leavitt threw one up for grabs under a heavy rush, and McDonald once again make the interception in the end zone.
And as the first half expired, LSU’s Scott Starzyk missed a 38-yard field goal as LSU took a 14-10 lead into the break.
LSU now is playing for a bowl only at No. 8 Tennessee next week and at Arkansas on Nov. 28 and is destined for a finish not much better than the 7-6 and 3-5 SEC season last year that got Kiffin here in the first place with so much hope for so much money.
And now it’s all just a lot of nothing.
And no “different” at all.
Same as it ever was a year ago.
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