Last time LSU traveled to Oxford, LSU’s defense allowed more than 700 yards in a shootout loss.
Today, it was the offense that couldn’t get it done as LSU (4-1, 1-1) lost its first game of the season to Ole Miss (5-0, 3-0) in Oxford, 24-19.
Frankly, it wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. In almost every aspect of the box score outside of points, Ole Miss had a significant advantage.
Ole Miss outgained LSU 480-254. Ole Miss had 84 total plays to LSU’s 56. Ole Miss had 12 more first downs than LSU. Ole Miss converted eight of 17 3rd down tries compared to LSU converting just two of 11.
“At the end of the day, when you put it all together, we didn’t play complementary football,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “You have to be able to complement your offense and defense. And we were out of sync with that.”
Despite a respectable final stat line, LSU quarterback Garrett had one of his worst nights as a Tiger. He completed 21 of his 34 attempts for 197 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
His struggles were particularly concerning, given that LSU’s running woes continued to plague the team despite playing a rushing defense that ranks toward the bottom of the league.
LSU ran the ball for just 57 yards on 22 carries.
LSU running back Ju’Juan Johnson got the start in place of Caden Durham, who was out with an ankle injury. However, it was freshman running back Harlem Berry who ended up being the leading rusher with seven carries for 22 yards and a touchdown.
Reading about these struggles might leave one wondering how the final score was so close.
Enter LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker and the LSU defense. The defense did yield 480 yards, but given that LSU’s offense couldn’t stay on the field and it was out there for 84 plays, it certainly held its own.
But holding its wasn’t enough for the Tigers today.
LSU DBs PJ Woodland and AJ Haulcy both produced game-changing turnovers with Ole Miss driving. Haulcy actually led the team in tackles with 13.
With 5:58 to play, Berry punched in a 6-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to five.
But LSU’s gassed defense simply couldn’t get the stop it needed to give Nussmeier a chance to lead a game-winning drive.
