Rebels Take a Hard Fall to a Resurgent LSU

Photo by Adam Brown

The Ole Miss Rebels had a hard time stopping the rushing attack of the LSU Tigers, who stormed to a 40-24 victory in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Saturday night.

On a winning streak since a couple of embarrassing early-season losses to Troy and Mississippi State, LSU used a heavy dose of the run the whole game, featuring junior running back Derrius Guice, who broke a 3-3 tie in the first quarter with a seven-yard dash to the end zone. Guice ended the night with 22 carries for 276 yards.
“LSU came and executed when we did not execute,” Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator Wesley McGriff said in a post-game conference. “They had success with the run, and on third and one, they would hit a pass play over the top. Hats off to them – they executed the game plan and deserved to win.”
Ole Miss kicker Gary Wunderlich kept the Rebels on the scoreboard with three field goals in the first half of play.
Ole Miss Head Coach Matt Luke talks about the way his team played against the Tigers:

Quarterback Shea Patterson went down with a knee injury prior to the Rebels’ last possession of the first half. Backup quarterback Jordan Ta’amu came into the game on that last drive and orchestrated a 66-yard scoring drive, culminating in a 26-yard field goal.
The Landshark defense held strong in the first half, giving up only 13 points and keeping the Rebels within striking distance of the Tigers.
But in the second half of the game, LSU would have three more players score touchdowns, along with two field goals by kicker Conner Culp to cap the scoring for the Tigers.
Patterson returned to the field to start the second half, and the Rebel offense got going with a rushing touchdown by running back Jordan Wilkins from 28 yards out. But the sprained knee seemed to plague Patterson for the remainder of the game.
As the fourth quarter drew to a close, the Rebels scored the last eight points of the game with Ta’amu as quarterback, first with a four-yard dash by D’Vaughn Pennamon for a TD, then with a Ta’amu pass to tight-end Dawson Knox to convert the two-point play.
Knox met with the media after the game and talked about Ta’amu’s performance:

Ole Miss ends its three-game home stand next week against Arkansas. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m.

Adam Brown HottyToddy.com sports editor. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.