Tiger Stadium comes to life with thrilling OT win over Ole Miss, 29-26 – LSU

BATON ROUGE – LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier hit junior receiver Kyren Lacy in the south end zone for a 25-yard touchdown, winning the game for No. 13 LSU, 29-26 in overtime, over No. 9 Ole Miss on Saturday Night in Death Gorge.

On a perfect fall evening as LSU celebrated 100 years of Tiger Stadium, Lacy's catch on the first play of the Tigers' OT possession gave LSU its first lead of the game after Ole Miss placekicker Caden Davis scored a stadium-record 57 yards Rebel OT possession.

The sellout crowd of 102,212 stormed the field and Tigerland's Golden Band played into the night as the Tigers won in Death Valley for the 14th straight year.

With the win, the Tigers improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play.

It's a party

TIGER WIN pic.twitter.com/c7UvG98SCw

– LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 13, 2024

LSU returns to action next Saturday in Fayetteville to face Arkansas in the Battle for the Boot. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Both teams started the game with a three-point attack. Two plays into Ole Miss' drive, a false start was called, a penalty that could be attributed to the loud and raucous LSU crowd.

On 3rd down and 7 from midfield, Tre Harris III rushed to the LSU 36 for a 17-yard gain, giving the Rebels a new set of downs in Tiger territory. On 3rd and 4 from the LSU 30, Ulysses Bentley IV stormed into the LSU 20 with a lead of 10.

On 4th-and-5 from the 22, Caden Davis' 32-yard field goal attempt missed right and was useless, allowing LSU to get the ball back in a turnover on downs.

With 6:15 left to play in the first quarter, Nussmeier's pass to Durham was tipped and intercepted by Jamarious Brown. The Rebels took over the LSU 13.

On 4th-and-1 from the LSU 4, a quick snap by running back Henry Parrish Jr. was pushed behind the line to be recovered by Bradyn Swinson, forcing a turnover and downs.

Pinned deep in its own end zone, Nussmeier found Kyren Lacy over the middle of the field for a 25-yard pickup, taking the ball to the LSU 30. But on 3rd-and-10 from the 40, Nussmeier's pass intended for Lacy was ripped apart to force an LSU punt.

On 2nd-and-12 from their own 15, Dart found Harris III for a 47-yard completion over the middle of the field, moving the ball to the LSU 38. On 3rd-and-7, from the LSU 35, Dart scrambled went for a three-yard gain before being tackled by Greg Penn III. On fourth-and-4 from the LSU 32, Davis' 49-yard attempt was good, giving Ole Miss a 3-0 lead with 14:55 remaining.

On third-and-13 from the LSU 36, Nussmeier found Lacy for an 18-yard connection across the middle of the field, taking the ball to the LSU 46-yard line. However, Kaleb Jackson was brought down on 4th-and-2 for a loss of two downs at the Ole Miss 41.

On the next possession, Bentley IV extended Ole Miss' lead with a 50-yard touchdown run with 8:39 left in the first half.

Towards the end of the second quarter, the LSU offense finally managed to get some rhythm going. Nussmeier completed passes of 17, 21, 28 and 12 to get into the end zone, capping a six-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier to the freshman tight end -End Trey'Dez Green culminated.

Nuss' 16th touchdown pass of the season cut the deficit to 10-7 with 5:33 left in the half.

As Ole Miss pushed deep into LSU territory, Dart found Harris III for a miraculous touchdown grab for a 15-yard score over Major Burns, extending the Rebel's lead to 17-7 with 1:42 left in the half were to play.

Damian Ramos' 33-yard field goal attempt was good before halftime, cutting the deficit to 17-10 with 34 seconds left in the half. It capped an eight-play, 59-yard drive that lasted one minute and eight seconds.

Halftime wasn't over yet. On 1st-and-25 from the Ole Miss 25, Dart's pass to Parrish was deflected (caused by Whit Weeks) and intercepted by freshman defensive tackle Dominick McKinley at the Rebel 28.

The Tigers were able to take advantage and score before halftime as Ramos' 47-yard attempt was good and LSU moved within 17-13 with five seconds left before halftime.

LSU's defense opened the second half with an impressive stop, forcing a 3rd-and-37 from the Ole Miss 35 that culminated in a punt. As one of the best pass rushers in the country, Swinson continued to be a force to be reckoned with in the trenches.

On the next offensive possession, Nussmeier managed to hit Aaron Anderson for a big 46-yard gain and advance the ball to the Ole Miss 30-yard line. However, an incompletion in the third led to the Tigers attempting a 46-yard field goal from Ramos, but it was pushed wide right to tie the game at 17-13 with 7:17 left in the third to play.

Davis' 35-yard field goal attempt was good, extending the Ole Miss lead to 20-13 with 4:41 left in the quarter.

LSU's offense remained in attack mode as Nussmeier found Josh Williams for a short pass that went 16 yards down the east sideline to the Ole Miss 46. Two plays later, a rough passer call to Walter Nolan moved the ball down the Ole Miss 28. However, on 3rd-and-6 from the Rebel 24, Nussmeier's pass to Thomas fell incomplete in the back of the end zone, forcing a field goal attempt

Ramos' 41-yard field goal made it 20-16 with 1:10 left in the third quarter.

On 1st-and-25 from the LSU 35, Dart's pass was intercepted by Zy Alexander, who fell into the end zone for a touchback. The Rebels threatened and were poised to win on two possessions before Alexander made the game-winning play.

However, on 1st-and-10 from the LSU 25, Nussmeier's pass intended for Lacy was subdued and intercepted by Amos at the Ole Miss 39.

The LSU defense continued to play on its heels as Swinson sacked Dart on 3rd-and-10 for a loss of nine points, forcing a punt at the Rebel 30.

On fourth-and-5 from the LSU 19, Davis' 37-yard attempt did well to extend the Rebels' lead to 23-16 with 3:14 to play.

With their backs against the wall, LSU's offense came up big when they needed it most with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that lasted just under three minutes. On 4th-and-5 from the Ole Miss 23, Nussmeier found Aaron Anderson over the middle of the field for a 23-yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 23 with 27 seconds to play, ultimately leading to the game being tied the extension went.

In overtime, the LSU defense forced another stop and held the Rebels to a whopping 57-yard field goal from Davis, giving Ole Miss a brief 26-23 lead before Nussmeier scored with a game-winning pass to Lacy The fans stormed the field in a fitting finale on Tiger Stadium's 100th birthday.

The sport's biggest venue has delivered once again. It never gets old.