Rebels Upset LSU 38-17

Saturday’s embarrassing 38-17 loss at Ole Miss and next weekend’s game against Texas A&M appeared to be, for all intents and purposes, a referendum on Miles’ tenure at LSU. Then there was another holding that Ole Miss declined, a delay of game and a false start, and LSU was just getting warmed up.

It’s a tremendous credit to Ole Miss that it answered the bell in such resounding fashion Saturday.

If you want to know why I ignore things like total offense and time of possession for the most part, this box score was a great example.

Rivalry Week could wreak havoc on the SEC West standings.

It was the type of loss that could have crushed a team’s psyche at the same time that it broke its heart.

An assortment of early penalties, continued shaky play on offense and a handful of big plays by the opposing offense caused Miles’ Tigers to trail 24-0 in the first half before eventually falling 38-17.

The Tigers racked up more yards than the Rebels, thanks to a few big passing gains when the game was already out of reach, but total yardage can be an overrated stat. LSU had a lot of trouble moving a strong Ole Miss line out on the goal line. No one is more dominant at their position in the SEC than Treadwell is, and he has the numbers (72 catches, 1,060 yards, eight touchdowns) to back it up. For once, the kickoff coverage was pretty good, forcing Ole Miss to start inside its 20 after all four kickoffs.

On to Starkville and on to the reality that Ole Miss has been in this very spot several times before. Ole Miss seemed locked in on what LSU was doing.

So what happened Saturday?

If Auburn beats the Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl and the Rebels take down Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl, both Ole Miss and Alabama would have matching 6-2 records in conference play.

The Rebels twice had leads of at least three touchdowns and preserved the margin with a goalline stand with under 7 minutes left after LSUreached the Ole Miss 1.

“We have to bounce back and get a win”, LSU defensive tackle Davon Godchaux said. They’re going to come in with a chip on their shoulder. A loss there could seal the fate of Miles, even though there are reports saying that the outcome of the game will have no bearing on their head coaching decision. Harris didn’t do much, but he didn’t make mistakes, either, and he has talented receivers. Honestly, LSU’s president F. King Alexander wasn’t brought here to interfere with the other power brokers of the university, he was brought here to be a front for them, as he uses LSU to raise his own national profile (he’s angling to be Secretary of Education for whomever wins the presidency in 2016).

“I honestly have not taken those reports in”, Miles said. “You look at previous weeks and we’ve been all over the quarterbacks, we just haven’t finished and gotten there”.