OXFORD, Miss. - Saturday night gave everybody in the LSU-Ole Miss matchup a little piece of what they came for.
Lane Kiffin took the hit in his return to his old stop, leaving Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with a 32-24 loss while plenty of people around the country got to enjoy it. Ole Miss got its shot at the coach who walked away before the College Football Playoff, though the crowd’s anger never seemed to reach the fever pitch many expected. And LSU, even in defeat, found something to carry home after clawing back from a 17-0 hole early in the second quarter and a 24-7 deficit at halftime to tie the game 24-24.
For a roster built from all over the map, that mattered.
A loss still counts as a loss, and this one will sting badly for LSU fans. But the Tigers at least left with proof that they could absorb the early punch, regroup and make Ole Miss sweat. That alone was worth something for a program still trying to climb to where the Rebels are right now.
Ole Miss looks like the better team at the moment, and maybe the better program too. Trinidad Chambliss was the difference again, throwing and passing for 399 yards and three touchdowns and finishing the job himself with a 14-yard keeper and 6:14 remaining.
He may end up with one of the strangest Heisman stories ever told, considering he started at Division II Ferris State. If the Rebels keep rolling, they could be back in the CFP without Kiffin on the sideline.
The game’s turning point came on LSU’s final real chance. Sam Leavitt’s fourth-and-goal throw from the 6 toward Jackson Harris was tipped and picked off in the end zone by Jaylon Braxton, and that was that.
Officially, that’s where LSU lost it. In a broader sense, you can point to plenty of other moments, including Kiffin’s failed effort to bring Chambliss with him to LSU - or the Mississippi judge who granted Chambliss a sixth year of eligibility because of, ahem, a case of tonsillitis.
Chambliss, who is 24 and older than two starting NFL quarterbacks, Drake Maye and former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, controlled the game for long stretches. Leavitt, 21, spent much of the first half looking rushed and uneasy, often breaking the pocket before the play could fully develop. He did outrush Chambliss 63-36, but as attorney Tony Clayton would say, that’s a cold cup of gumbo.
Leavitt did settle in as the game wore on. He started to hold his ground more in the pocket, and when he ran, it was with more purpose instead of simply escaping pressure.
No one in Baton Rouge is going to treat a loss as acceptable, especially with the kind of money LSU puts into football - roughly the annual GDP of Nebraska, as the saying goes. But this was still a team showing signs of growth.
LSU didn’t fold. It fought back.
Kiffin caught heat during the week for saying the pressure was on Ole Miss, and he wasn’t exactly subtle about it. But with Ole Miss coming in at 13-2 and fresh off a CFP final four run, and LSU sitting at 7-6 after firing Brian Kelly, the point had a ring to it. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum suggested Kiffin was flattering himself, but when LSU tied it at 24-24 on Scott Starzyk’s 23-yard field goal with 11:21 left, the pressure was real on the Rebels.
Ole Miss answered, and Chambliss was the reason.
The rivalry heads back to Baton Rouge next year after Ole Miss has now won two straight in Oxford. By then, Chambliss will be out of eligibility, at least in theory, and LSU will find out where it stands in the rematch. For now, the Tigers can at least point to the comeback and know they didn’t quit.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin's Return To Oxford Got Ugly After LSU's Loss
LSUs trip to Oxford ended with a 32-24 loss to Ole Miss, but the postgame scene carried its own edge. The rivalry already had enough bite with Lane Kiffin back on the sideline in a place where he once coached, and the atmosphere inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium matched it, with a crowd large enough to set an attendance record.
As Kiffin made his way out afterward, police escorted him from the stadium following a tense encounter with former Ole Miss recruit Suntarine Perkins. It was the kind of ending that reminded everyone how personal these SEC games can get, especially when old ties, new loyalties and a loud crowd all collide in one night. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Loss Ended With An Awkward Ole Miss Moment Fans Noticed
Holly Rowe was back on the field Saturday night for the LSU-Ole Miss game, and the scene got lively quickly as No. 8 Ole Miss handed No. 7 LSU a 32-24 loss. The postgame portion of the broadcast brought the kind of raw emotion that follows a rivalry-style finish, with Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss fresh off the win and still caught in the moment during his live interview.
Chambliss wound up apologizing publicly after an expletive slipped out on the air, and he later expressed regret for how it played out. Rowe handled the exchange professionally, keeping the moment from overshadowing an already frustrating night for LSU, even if fans were left talking about the awkward ending just as much as the result itself. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Were Shaken By A Frightening Scene Above Saturday's Game
The aerial shots over Saturdays Ole Miss-LSU game in Oxford had plenty of fans already locked in on the atmosphere inside the stadium, but one clip quickly shifted attention to the sky above it. A helicopter came in uncomfortably close to an ESPN camera drone capturing live views over the field, turning what should have been routine broadcast imagery into the kind of moment that made viewers stop and replay the footage.
The near-miss spread fast on social media, where LSU fans and plenty of other observers reacted with concern, and even a helicopter pilot weighed in after seeing the video. No collision occurred and the game went on without further incident, but the episode was a jarring reminder of how much is happening around a major college football broadcast before anyone ever talks about the final score. [Read more 🡒]