By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
OXFORD, Ms. – Once upon a time, Jayden Daniels was Arizona State’s starting quarterback for two seasons in the Pac-12, a conference where high-scoring offenses rule and playing defense is optional.
But he’d never played in a game like he did here on Saturday in which he had 513 of his team’s 637 yards total offense, accounted for five touchdowns and led his team to almost a half a hundred points and still lost.
“It was a true shootout,” said Daniels, LSU’s starting quarterback, after his final pass of the game into the end zone sailed incomplete as time expired with the 12th-ranked Tigers suffering their first SEC loss in the season, 55-49 at the hands of No. 20 Ole Miss.
Daniels did his best to get his team across the finish line for the win.
He completed 27 of 36 passes for 414 yards and four TDs including three to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. He also ran for 99 yards and a TD on 15 carries. He led LSU to seven TDs, six on drives of 75 yards or longer.
Yet it wasn’t enough as the Tigers’ defense, consistently missing tackles and failing to make stops, never slowed Ole Miss’ offense, which piled up more total yards than any LSU opponent ever has.
The Rebels (4-1 overall, 1-1 in the SEC West) gained 706 total offense yards in 88 plays, powered by 389 passing yards and a career-high four TDs from quarterback Jaxson Dart and 317 rushing yards headed by running back Quinshon Judkins’ 177 yards and 1 TD on 33 carries.
“We felt we had to make a statement to the whole conference,” Judkins said. “We were going to do whatever it takes to win the game.”
The combined 1,343 yards of total offense between the Rebels and Tigers ranks as the fifth-most in SEC history and the third-most between SEC schools. The combined 104 points between Ole Miss and LSU ranks tied for seventh-most in SEC history in non-overtime games and the third-most between SEC opponents.
From the jump, LSU (3-2 overall, 2-1 SEC West) was behind the 8-ball because its defense simply couldn’t get the Ole Miss offense off the field even when the Rebels were in dire-and-distance situations.
“I’m angry, I’m disappointed,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said. “If you like a lot of points, I guess you liked the game. I didn’t like it. It’s not the way I like to play football.
“We need to get pissed off about what happened and have some resolve about our circumstances. That’s not a standard of play that’s acceptable.”
The largest crowd in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium history – 66,703 – witnessed a lethal combination of unstoppable offenses and embarrassingly porous defenses, the latter more suited to backyard touch football.
The only time the Tigers forced first-half Ole Miss punts was on the Rebels’ second and seventh final possessions.
At one point, Ole Miss scored 24 points on four straight possessions including three consecutive TDs.
After LSU’s first two offensive series ended in a punt and a Daniels fumble, the Tigers scored TDs on four straight first-half possessions. Only a missed 56-yard field goal by LSU placekicker Damian Ramos as time expired in the first half allowed Ole Miss to hold a 31-28 halftime lead.
The halftime offensive stats were ridiculous.
The teams combined for 760 total offense yards (LSU 373 yards on 41 plays (9.1 yards per play), Ole Miss 387 yards on 43 plays (9 yards per play). The Tigers and the Rebs had five plays each of 20 or more yards.
All the gaudy numbers made you wonder if any defensive adjustments at halftime could diffuse either offense enough to take and maintain a lead.
Apparently not.
LSU scored on its two third-quarter possessions – the aforementioned Daniels QB sneak and a Diggs’ 12 yard TD run sandwiched a 48-yard Davis’ field goal for a 42-34 Tigers lead entering the fourth quarter.
It seemed like LSU had a hint of momentum. But the Rebels, who opened the game outscoring the Tigers 21-7 in the first quarter, closed the night with another 21-7 run in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers’ lone fourth-quarter score was Daniels’ perfectly placed 34-yard TD pass to Thomas with 8:34 left for a 49-40 lead.
“We were down two scores in the fourth quarter to arguably the best personnel offense in the country and it would be easy to fold,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “Our defense had to stop them twice and our offense had to drive the length of the field. Not easy plays.”
Just less than 3½ minutes later, the Rebels scored again. Dart’s 1-yard TD sneak edged Ole Miss within 49-47 with 5:06 left.
After Ole Miss forced LSU’s offense to a three-and-out series, the Rebels took over at their 12-yard line with 2:36 left.
They opened the drive with five straight running plays that gained 34 yards. Dart got the final 54 yards with three straight completions, including a 13-yard TD pass to Tre’ Harris in what proved to be the game-winner with 39 seconds left.
Daniels quickly got LSU back in position to steal a win. A 42-yard first-down pass to Chris Hilton Jr. advanced the ball to Ole Miss 33. Three plays later, a horsecollar tackle penalty against the Rebels gave LSU a first down at the Ole Miss 16.
But two false starts by the Tigers in the next three plays moved the ball back to the Ole Miss 26 with five seconds left. On LSU’s final play, Daniels was forced to scramble to his left. He stopped and fired an incomplete pass to Hilton in a crowd of Ole Miss defenders in the back of the end zone.
“I was hoping somebody would pop wide open, just give one of the playmakers a chance to make a play,” Daniels said.
LSU moves on to play at unbeaten No. 23 ranked Missouri (5-0 overall, 1-0 SEC East) next Saturday at 11 a.m. Mizzou opened league play Saturday with a 38-21 win at Vanderbilt.
“We’re playing with young, inexperienced players,” Kelly said referring to LSU’s freshmen and sophomore cornerbacks and safeties who contributed heavily to missed tackles and busted assignments.
“That’s who we have. Nobody else is walking through that door.
“These are the guys that have to play for us and we’re going to continue to develop them.”
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com