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The University of Mississippi Athletics
FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Ole Miss - LSU 1947
11/20/2015 | Football
FRIDAY FLASHBACK rewinds to some of the memorable Ole Miss games from this week's all-time series. Ole Miss and LSU have produced several of the most exciting moments in SEC history, and one of the first great battles was a duel between legends Charlie Conerly of the Rebels and Y.A. Tittle of the Tigers. The following is The Clarion-Ledger's account of the events of Nov. 1, 1947.
Ole Miss Upsets LSU by 20 to 18
By Wayne Thompson, The Clarion-Ledger
Nov. 2, 1947
BATON ROUGE - An All-American tailback was on display in Tiger Stadium Saturday night and over 46,000 fans saw him personally lead the underdog Ole Miss Rebels to a 20-18 victory over the LSU Tigers in a Southeastern Conference thriller.
That All-American was Charlie Conerly, the Clarksdale Flash, and he passed and ran the Bengals off their feet to score touchdowns in the second and fourth periods and insure the win.
It was then the talented toe of Bob Oswalt that put two kicks between the uprights for the difference between victory and defeat.
Conerly's first score, after being set up by his accurate right arm, came on a two-yard plunge midway the second period. His second, setup by Bobby Wilson, was a three-yard plunge, and the third, which came in the final quarter, was a 26-yard run on a fake pass.
But the Bengals, who scored both first and last but couldn't make those extra points, has the edge in most every department. They racked up 22 first downs to just nine for the Rebels, gained 258 yards to 120 for the winners on the ground, and had the ball on 56 plays to just 26 for Ole Miss.
The weather, however, stayed clear and it was Conerly's passing that was the difference. While the Bengals were trying 23 passes and completing only 10 of them, Conerly was attempting 19, completing an even dozen. And to big Barney Poole must go a big amount of the credit for the completion as well as a great game in all departments.
First Quarter
Captain Charley Conerly of the Rebels met co-Captains Harvey Core and Fred Land in the center of the field under threatening skies but only a slight mist fell around his shoulders as he won the toss and elected to receive. Jenkins took the kick on his own 13 yard line and returned it 20 yards. Conerly immediately hit Jenkins with a pass. But a second attempted pass cost the Rebs 12 yards and Conerly punted to Gray who was downed on the Bengals' 48 after a three-yard gain.
The Bengals went on a march, with Y.A. Tittle opening the attack with a nine yard pass to Lyle. Then Griffith and Coates, ably aided by a 15-yard penalty against the Rebs for unnecessary roughness, carried the ball to the Rebel one where Rip Collins took it over. Heard's kick was no good.
Tiblier took the kick from Heard and carried it back to the 16. A pair of runs and Conerly's passing to Poole got a first down on the Reb 41, but no more could be made and an exchange of quick kicks followed, Conerly's going 55 yards. Again LSU started marching, with Tittle passing to Sandifer for 38 long yards before Jenkins intercepted a pass on his own 20 to halt the drive. An exchange of punts then followed, with the Bengals having a first down on their own 37 as the period ended.
Second Quarter
The Rebels held and Collins kicked out on the Ole Miss 41 where Conerly got busy. He hit Poole with passes for a first down on the Tiger 48, and then a pass to Stribling was good for another first down on the Bengal 19. Two more aerials to Stribling made first down on the seven, an offside game the Rebels five yards and Conerly bucked it over. Oswalt kicked the point and Ole Miss led 7-6.
Again lightening was striking. LSU attemped to start action with aerials but little Bobby Wilson stepped in to take one of Tittle's passes and returned it the Bengal 11. Conerly to Johnson was three yards gained, and two plays later Conerly had gone over. Oswalt's kick was wide, but Ole Miss led 13-6.
The Bengals then got scoring ideas and with Gray and Sandifer both turning in long runs and Tittle sandwiching and an eight yard gain, they went as far as the Rebel 21 before the drive was halted.
Ole Miss made another attempted drive but Tittle intercepted a Conerly pass on the Bengal 15 and returned it 23 yards. An interference ruling on a Tittle pass intended for Heroman gave the Bengals a first down on their own 35, but there the Rebs got hot and took over on their own 48. Conerly hit Harper with a pass good for a first down.
Third Quarter
The Bengals threatened seriously to open the second half. Tittle returned the kickoff to the 41 and with Rip Collins furnishing the spark, helped by Ray Coates who was playing his first game season, they carried to the Rebel four yard line before Ole Miss could hold.
Conerly punted out with the Bengals starting another drive that was dead when Collins' fumble was recovered by Bridgers for the Rebels on the 20. Conerly then got off a 64-yard quick-kick, and Gray was down on the Bengal 19.
An exchange of punts followed with Gray taking a Conerly kick on his own 20 and returning it 21 yards to start a drive that had carried to the Rebel 32 as the period ended.
Fourth Quarter
Once more the Rebels held with Collins kicking out of bounds on the Rebel five-yard stripe. Conerly quick kicked out to the Bengal 48 where Gray was downed immediately.
But here Coates, Schroll and Tittle sparked a drive that carried to the Rebel five-yard marker where Rip Collins circled right end for the marker. Heard's kick was low and Ole Miss led 13-12.
However, the Rebels wanted a bigger lead and started to work. Glover took the kickoff on the eight and returned it 19 yards. In three plays, he had gotten a first down on the 39 and was replaced by Conerly. Conerly hit Poole for a first down on the Bengal 34, another Tiblier for a first down on the 20, and Howell lost six on the next play. Conerly attempted to pass but chose to run but went all the way. Oswalt kicked the point and the Rebels were ahead 20-12.
And it was a good thing they had eight points lead, for the Bengals took the kickoff and scored in exactly three plays. Collins got a first down on the Ole Miss 30. Tittle moved it down to the 11 and then Coates passed to Leach for the score. Heard's kick was bad again and Ole Miss led 20-18. Four minutes remained in the game.
The Rebels took the kickoff but couldn't go and Conerly kicked out on the Bengal 47. Tittle completed an aerial to Bullock good for a first down on the Rebel 41. He was hurt on the next play, and Charlie Pevey replaced him and completed a pass to Adams on the Rebel 29 as the game ended.
