In a nail-biter of a match Saturday evening, the Ole Miss Rebels took home their first conference win of the season against Louisiana State University, 55 to 49. At the conclusion of the thrilling match, fans rushed the field to celebrate the Rebels’ 42nd win over LSU in the Magnolia Bowl series.
A loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide last Saturday left the Rebels feeling discouraged as they exited Tuscaloosa. The following week was filled with roster changes that ignited questions about the team’s future. As the Ole Miss Rebels prepared to take on the LSU Tigers, the largest crowd to ever fill Vaught-Hemingway Stadium filed in, praying for a much-needed conference win.
The Rebels came out firing early on their first drive, taking only four minutes to reach the end zone. The offensive air attack was noticeably quicker, allowing quarterback Jaxson Dart to find receivers early. The Rebel offensive line has struggled to hold the pocket open for Dart recently, so it is exciting for fans to see the team capitalize on the o-line’s success.
Quinshon Judkins notched six on the scoreboard early via a touchdown reception. Ulysses Bentley IV swiftly followed with a 43-yard scamper to the end zone.
Ole Miss’ defense took an exciting step in the right direction as well on its first series. After a quick forced three-and-out by the Tigers, the Rebel defense came out firing on all cylinders by forcing a huge fumble from LSU QB Jayden Daniels.
Dart’s progression has been very promising week to week, as he has fixed his mistakes and put Ole Miss in better positions to win. He began to avoid contact on his runs and did not try to force plays into succeeding. Allowing plays to develop and trusting his receivers put Ole Miss up huge early.
Dart targeted six different receivers in the first half, three resulting in touchdowns.
Opening up the second quarter, the Rebel run defense struggled against LSU’s talented backfield. A long scramble by Daniels opened up an opportunity for the Tigers to get into the end zone.
However, where the defense failed, the offense succeeded. The Rebels’ explosive backfield featuring Dart, Judkins and Bentley IV caused major problems for the Tigers. The trio combined for 145 yards in the first half. Their playmaking ability threatened the defense enough to allow huge plays for the offense through the air.
Daniels caused issues for the Rebel defense both through the air and on the ground. The Tigers’ quarterback kept them in the game in what would become a shootout until the end. The Rebels closed out the first half with a score of 31-28.
LSU would strike first to begin the second half, and it didn’t take the Tigers long to strike again. Extending their lead to 42-34, the Tigers put the Rebels into a difficult deficit to overcome.
Daniels was seemingly impossible for the defense to contain.
Ole Miss’ backfield continued to cause issues for the Tigers despite continuous offensive penalties. Quinshon Judkins ripped off an extremely tough run to inch the Rebels closer to victory, but a failed two-point conversion left them just short, 42-40.
A potentially game-altering sack from senior linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk to open the final quarter immediately swung the momentum back to Ole Miss. Nevertheless, the Rebels would go four and out and surrender a controversial score by LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr.
Ole Miss, however, overcame this setback by marching down the field and converting both a touchdown and a two-point conversion with 39 seconds left. The Rebel defense then let up a shaky final drive against the Tiger offense, but ultimately, they stepped up when it mattered most.
The Rebels survived the intense offensive shootout and gained both a ranked win and a critical SEC West victory.
