Logan Stokes hauls in the game-winning touchdown versus Ole Miss. (Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports)
BATON ROUGE, La. — After handing off on nearly every play during a 95-yard drive, LSU quarterback Anthony Jennings threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Logan Stokes — the first reception of Stokes’ collegiate career — to lift No. 24 Tigers to a 10-7 win over No. 3 and previously unbeaten Ole Miss before a record crowd of 102,321 on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium.
Trailing 7-3, LSU (7-2) took over at its own 5-yard line with 11:06 left in the fourth quarter. After having committed four turnovers, LSU decided to keep the ball on the ground, calling 12 consecutive running plays to move the ball to the Ole Miss 3.
Kenny Hilliard ripped off gains of 18 and 16 yards and running back Leonard Fournette raced 23 yards to set up the winning score with 5:07 left.
Ole Miss (7-1) had two more shots, but the LSU defense stopped quarterback Bo Wallace on a fourth-and-1 sneak to turn the ball over.
The Rebels got the ball back at its 25 with 1:19 left and, without timeouts, drove 50 yards to the LSU 25. With nine seconds left, Ole Miss lined up to attempt a tying 42-yard field goal but was called for a delay of game, which would have made it a 47-yard attempt.
After an LSU timeout, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze decided to throw deep, but safety Ronald Martin intercepted at the Ole Miss 2 and the Tigers ran out the clock.
The teams traded eight punts and Jennings threw two interceptions in the first 18:54 of the second half as both offenses struggled to get anything going.
Jennings’ first interception on a desperation deep sideline throw — picked off by cornerback Senquez Golson for his eighth interception of the season — actually helped LSU flip field position when Golson was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for twirling the ball on the turf in jubilation.
Ole Miss could get nothing to work. From early in the second quarter, the Rebels punted seven consecutive times.
Ole Miss capitalized on two LSU fumbles — one by Fournette at the Rebels’ 2-yard line — and a missed chip-shot field goal by Colby Delahoussaye to take a 7-3 halftime lead.
Delahoussaye’s miss from 29 yards in the first quarter came after an inadvertent whistle wiped out a 13-yard run by Fournette to the Ole Miss 3.
When Fournette was smacked by linebacker Deterrian Shackleford and fumbled on LSU’s next series trying to plow in from the Ole Miss 2, the Rebels dodged another score when safety Cody Prewitt recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchback.
Instead of leading by at least 10-0, LSU then fell behind 7-0 on Ole Miss’ next series. Wallace appeared to hit running back Jaylen Walton on a circle route for an 80-yard touchdown, but the officials went to the replay booth and saw that Walton had stepped out of bounds at the LSU 37.
On third-and-goal from the LSU 15, Wallace threw a strike to wide receiver Cody Core, who beat defensive back Rashard Robinson to the right pylon. The scoring pass came after LSU safety Jalen Mills dropped an interception on a halfback pass by Jordan Wilkins, who was trying to hit Wallace sneaking out of the backfield on the left side.
Emblematic of LSU’s first-half frustration was a 17-play, 90-yard drive that fizzled and resulted in a 21-yard field goal by Delahoussaye, the Tigers’ only score of the half.
NOTES: 1959 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon, whose iconic 89-yard punt return against Ole Miss was the Tigers’ only score in a 7-3 victory during an undefeated regular season, was an honorary captain for the homecoming game. … Ole Miss has outscored opponents 62-3 in the first quarter this season. The Rebels’ two recovered fumbles in the first 17 minutes gave them a plus-12 in takeaways this year. … LSU S Jalen Mills dropped two sure interceptions in the first half, and S Jamal Adams dropped another.
