“I think that that was a game that was one of just a few that I’ve had in my career.”
On one of the biggest days of the college football calendar, the LSU Tigers added to the dramatics in a 29-26 overtime thriller in front of over 102,000 people inside Tiger Stadium on Saturday night.
It wasn’t a pretty game for the Bayou Bengals, who never led until the game-winning touchdown, but the defense was able to do enough to give the offense the opportunity to tie the game with less than a minute remaining when Garrett Nussmeier found Aaron Anderson in the endzone on fourth down.
Whit Weeks led the way for the defense with 18 tackles, a career-high. Bradyn Swinson also continued his record start to the season with a pair of sacks, putting his season total at 7.
In overtime, Ole Miss got the ball first and got ten yards quickly before two penalties pushed them back to the 40-yard line. LSU was then able to force a 57-yard field goal from Caden Davis to Ole Miss ahead 26-23.
Enter Kyren Lacy.
The senior receiver from Thibodaux came up with the biggest play of his career, catching a 25-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier to seal the victory for the Tigers as the fans stormed the field following the epic win.
“Just an incredible atmosphere tonight,” Kelly said about the game and the environment for the 100th anniversary celebration of Tiger Stadium. “I thought our game operations, creating an incredible environment with 100 years of Tiger Stadium. Hats off to them. I thought they made the stadium environment unique and electric, which is what you want for a game day event. Then the two teams played up to that and lived up to it.”
Lafayette native Tre Harris had a big night for the Ole Miss Rebels, finishing second on the team with seven catches for 102 yards and a touchdown, which will likely end up as a catch-of-the-year candidate as he wrapped his arms around an LSU defender to make the grab. New Iberia and Loureauville natives Trey Amos and Zy Alexander each traded interceptions for their respective teams.
“Can’t say enough about the defensive effort tonight,” Kelly said. “Sacks, harassing the quarterback, making the big plays when they needed to. That’s what we’ve been talking about in terms of getting better each and every week on both sides of the ball that was complimentary football for us, and you have to do that to be the top 10 team. Really proud of our football team and the way they never blinked. They were down virtually the whole game, and they just kept playing.”
With the win, LSU now sits at 5-1 and will likely find themselves in the Top 10 of the AP poll. The win also puts the Tigers in a key position for controlling their destiny toward the first 12-team College Football Playoff. They will travel to Arkansas on Saturday for a matchup for the Golden Boot trophy with the Razorbacks. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.