It was the kind of night that makes you remember why college football is basically a religion in the South. 102,212 people screaming until their lungs gave out. The 100th anniversary of Tiger Stadium. And a rivalry that has become one of the most unpredictable, high-stakes slugfests in the SEC. Honestly, if you missed the LSU vs Ole Miss football 2024 game, you missed a masterclass in psychological warfare and late-game heroics.
The Chaos That Was LSU vs Ole Miss Football 2024
Most people expected a shootout. They got one, but not in the way anyone predicted. For three quarters, it felt like LSU was banging its head against a brick wall. Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss squad was disciplined, fast, and for a long time, just better. Jaxson Dart was dealing, even if the LSU pass rush was living in his back pocket.
Then, the fourth quarter happened.
You’ve probably seen the highlights of Garrett Nussmeier’s 23-yard dart to Aaron Anderson with 27 seconds left. That play saved the season. It wasn’t just a touchdown; it was a "get out of jail free" card for an LSU offense that had struggled to finish drives all night. But that only sent us to overtime.
The Overtime Stunner
In OT, Ole Miss took the ball first. The Rebels' drive stalled, largely thanks to a rowdy crowd that seemed to cause a collective brain cramp for the Ole Miss offensive line. Caden Davis stepped up and drilled a 57-yard field goal. That’s a stadium record, by the way. Usually, a 57-yarder in OT feels like a dagger.
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LSU didn't care.
On the very first play of the Tigers' possession, Nussmeier dropped back, looked right, and found Kyren Lacy for a 25-yard walk-off touchdown. Game over. 29-26. The field was covered in purple and gold before Lacy even finished his celebration.
Why the Defense Stole the Show
We usually talk about the quarterbacks in the LSU vs Ole Miss football 2024 matchup, but the Bayou Bandits actually showed up this time. Whit Weeks was a literal madman. 18 tackles. A sack. A forced fumble. He was everywhere.
LSU's defensive front, coached up to be more aggressive under the new staff, finished with six sacks. They hit Jaxson Dart so many times it’s a miracle he was still standing by the fourth quarter. Bradyn Swinson notched two of those sacks, continuing his run as one of the most underrated edge rushers in the country.
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Key Stats That Define the Night
- Total Yards: Ole Miss 464, LSU 421.
- Third Down Conversions: LSU went 6-of-18. Kinda ugly, right? But they went 2-of-2 on the fourth-down plays that actually mattered on that final regulation drive.
- Sacks: LSU's defense racked up 6, while Ole Miss didn't record a single sack on Nussmeier.
- Penalties: Ole Miss shot themselves in the foot with 12 penalties for 110 yards. In a three-point game, that’s the whole story.
Garrett Nussmeier's Redemption
Before that final drive, Nussmeier was having a rough outing. He was 22-of-51. That is not a typo. He was completing less than 50% of his passes for most of the night. People in the stands were starting to grumble.
But Nussmeier has this "gunslinger" DNA. He doesn't get rattled by a bad first half. He kept throwing. He trusted Lacy and Anderson. By the time the clock hit zero, he had 337 yards and three touchdowns. He became the first-year starter who won the biggest game on the schedule, cementing his legacy in Baton Rouge.
The Tre Harris Factor
If you’re an Ole Miss fan, you’re still wondering "what if?" Tre Harris was destroying the LSU secondary early on. He had 102 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Then he went down with a hip injury.
When Harris left the game, the Rebels' offense lost its vertical threat. Jaxson Dart suddenly had nowhere to go with the ball when the pocket collapsed. It forced Ole Miss to rely on the run game, and while Ulysses Bentley IV had a massive 50-yard TD run, the consistency just wasn't there without the threat of Harris over the top.
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Misconceptions About the 2024 Rivalry
One thing people get wrong is thinking this was just a "lucky" win for LSU. It wasn't. It was a war of attrition. LSU's offensive line, led by Will Campbell, didn't allow a single sack despite Nussmeier dropping back 51 times. That's insane. If you give a quarterback that much time, eventually he’s going to find a hole in the zone.
Also, don't buy the narrative that Ole Miss "choked." They played a hell of a game in a hostile environment. They just ran into a team that has a weird, supernatural ability to win Saturday night games in Death Valley. Brian Kelly is now 13-0 in night games at Tiger Stadium. That’s not a fluke; it’s a trend.
What to Watch for Next
If you're following the trajectory of these two programs, the LSU vs Ole Miss football 2024 game was a massive fork in the road.
- For LSU: This win kept them in the playoff conversation through the mid-season. It proved the defense could actually get stops when the offense was stagnant.
- For Ole Miss: It showed they belong at the top table, but they still have "discipline" issues to iron out. 12 penalties in a road environment will kill you every single time.
- The Recruiting Trail: Expect both teams to use this tape to battle for the top defensive linemen in the portal. Both teams saw exactly how much a dominant pass rush changes the game.
To really understand the impact of this win, you should look back at the 2023 game in Oxford where LSU lost a 55-49 heartbreaker. The 2024 rematch was the defensive correction Tiger fans had been praying for.
Go back and re-watch the final two minutes of regulation. Pay attention to how the LSU offensive line shifts their protection to give Nussmeier that extra half-second. It’s the small technical details, not just the big catches, that won this game.