5 Stats That Explain Why Ole Miss Lost to LSU

BATON ROGUE, La. – No. 9 Ole Miss probably saw its chances at making the College Football Playoff disappear into the night sky at Death Valley.

The Rebels’ 29-26 overtime loss to No. 13 LSU gives them two losses in the season, and both to SEC teams. But if Vanderbilt can be No. 1 Alabama, anything is possible. So, not all hope is lost.

LSU LEFT NO DOUBT.
Garrett Nussmeier to Kyren Lacy for the WALKOFF OVERTIME VICTORY pic.twitter.com/lfN5odD9uP

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 13, 2024

Ole Miss, though, can’t afford anymore slipups the rest of the season and will have to fix the problems that led to Saturday night’s loss.

Here are five stats that explain why Ole Miss lost to LSU:

12

That’s the number of penalties Ole Miss was penalized for Saturday night. Two of those penalties came in overtime and put the Rebels in a position where a field goal was their best outcome.

6

That’s the number of times LSU sacked Jaxson Dart for a total loss of 33 yards. The Tigers also had five quarterback hits and nine tackles for a loss. That’s a lot of negative plays for an offense that was regarded as one of the nation’s best.

0

That’s the number of times Ole Miss sacked LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. The Rebels did register three quarterback hits and pressure on Nussmeier helped generate an interception. The defense didn’t play bad, but in a game like this, everything will be looked at. Maybe a timely sack or two changes the course of the game?

18

That’s the number of total tackles LSU linebacker W Weeks had against Ole Miss. Weeks wreaked havoc against the Rebels. Of his 18 total tackles, 10 were solo, one was a sack, two were for a loss. Additionally, he had a pass breakup and a forced fumble. And none of that includes the plays and impact he had that didn’t land in the box score.

14

That was Ole Miss’ offensive success rate against LSU. The offensive success rate is the percentage of successful plays based on yards needed, adjusted for down. Anything higher than 50 is considered above average and below 40 is considered below average. Feel free to make your own inferences.