- The Magnolia Bowl often delivers high drama, and this LSU comeback victory fit the bill.
- Ole Miss collapses in a game it never trailed until final play.
- Win keeps LSU’s playoff hopes afloat.
BATON ROUGE, La. – A wild, wacky rivalry series gained its latest wild, wacky chapter.
Only the Magnolia Bowl, right?
No. 8 Ole Miss lost a game it never trailed until the final play.
No. 10 LSU won a game it had no business winning for most of the night.
Maybe, the ghost of Billy Cannon still haunts the Rebels.
Sixty-five years after run, Billy, run, the Magnolia Bowl served pass, Garrett, pass.
Collapse, Rebels, collapse.
Rally, Tigers, rally, to a 29-26 overtime victory.
‘Really proud of our football team and the way they never blinked,’ LSU coach Brian Kelly said, after a win that pushed his team to 5-1.
Missed opportunities come to haunt Ole Miss
The Rebels came to regret not scoring a single point in a first quarter in which they gained 139 yards, twice penetrated the red zone, and had a would-be touchdown pass slip through the hands of their best receiver.
LSU came to escape despite spending most of the second half squandering opportunities to take the lead after its defense supplied stops.
But quarterback Garrett Nussmeier kept slinging it, and the Rebels’ defense finally broke – just as they did in the fourth quarter two weeks ago in a loss to Kentucky.
Twice, Nussmeier completed fourth-down passes on the game-tying drive. With LSU’s season on the line, he hit Aaron Anderson for a 23-yard touchdown to force overtime.
Tigers fans sang their infamous NSFW anthem before overtime while the band provided the beat, and then Death Valley roared as loudly as it had all night just before the Rebels’ Caden Davis drilled a 57-yard field goal.
Of course this zany game needed a 57-yard boot, right?
Amid the din, Nussmeier kept his cool.
Garrett Nussmeier delivers for LSU in crunch time
Statistically, LSU’s quarterback did not enjoy a banner night. He threw two interceptions and more incompletions than he had in any game this season.
But, Nussmeier’s the best thing Kelly’s team has going for it.
So, pass, Garrett, pass.
He needed just one overtime toss.
Nussmeier threw it to his best wide receiver.
Kyren Lacy worked against 1-on-1 coverage.
That’s a winning matchup for LSU.
‘That’s not a 50/50 ball. That’s a 100 to nothin’ ball,’ Nussmeier said.
And who cares about the first 49 passes Nussmeier threw? Because his last two tosses were touchdowns.
‘Nuss played a hell of a game,’ Lacy said.
Lacy joined Kelly in offering a more generous assessment of Nussmeier’s night than the quarterback himself provided. Nussmeier called his performance one of the worst games of his career. He just kept firing away.
‘That was a growth game for him,’ Kelly said.
Lacy’s 25-yard touchdown grab kept LSU’s playoff hopes afloat, while stomping on what was supposed to be a dream season for the Rebels, who fell to 5-2.
Time for the tunes.
“Grove St. Party” played on the stadium loudspeakers while Tigers fans stormed the field.
A field-storming after a mild upset?
Ah, what the heck, after this wacky game, storm, Tigers, storm.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
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(This story was updated with new information.)
