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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sunday Notebook: Instant Classic at The Vaught
10/1/2023 | Football
<i class="icon-paper"></i> Ole Miss vs. LSU Game Recap<i class="icon-tickets"></i> Ole Miss vs. Arkansas Tickets
Ole Miss Wins Epic Shootout Over LSU, 55-49
OXFORD, Miss. – It was an instant classic at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as No. 20 Ole Miss football came from behind to beat No. 12 LSU, 55-49, when Jaxson Dart found Tre Harris for the game-winning touchdown in the final minute to propel Lane Kiffin's Rebels to the victory and send fans storming onto the field to celebrate the epic Southeastern Conference upset.
The 55 points scored were the most in program history against an AP ranked team, topping the 52-51 win over No. 13 Arkansas in 2021. Ole Miss and LSU combined for 1,343 yards in the shootout, the third-most of all-time between two SEC schools. Ole Miss racked up 706 total yards, the fourth 700-yard offensive game of the Kiffin era and the sixth in program history.
While the shootout was the story, the defense came through with a couple of key stops late to erase a nine-point deficit with just over five minutes to go.
"Extremely proud of our players," Kiffin said. "A lot of stuff happened there. We're down two scores in the fourth quarter against arguably the best offensive personnel in the country. Easy to give in. Not fluke plays. Guys had to drive the length of the field twice, had stop them. Then stop them again. Which we did. Just really proud of these guys."
Click here for a full recap, postgame notes, press conferences and more.
BIG PLAY TRE
After the win, Lane Kiffin said star receiver Tre Harris was at 90 percent health Saturday against LSU. As it turned out, that was still enough to earn an A grade for the Rebels.
After missing the Georgia Tech game and being limited at Alabama due to injury, Harris was back to form, leading Ole Miss with 153 yards, eight receptions and a touchdown, giving him six on the season. The Lafayette, Louisiana, native and Louisiana Tech transfer capped his day with a stunning run after the catch on the game-winning touchdown against his home-state team.
"That's exactly what I came here to do. That was probably the most fun game I've ever played in my life," Harris said. "To be honest, we hadn't hit on that play call all week. We weren't really repping it crazy or anything. But as soon as I got the ball in my hands, I knew I had to make a play. I smelled the end zone. The end zone was too close for me, and I knew I had to make a play to get there."
RED ZONE REBS
Finish was the word of the day for Ole Miss, which punched in all three of its fourth-quarter touchdowns from inside the red zone. The Rebels were a perfect 6-for-6 in red zone scoring on the day, including five touchdowns.
Quinshon Judkins was a big part of the red zone success, hauling in a 4-yard score top open the day's scoring, and then bruising the Tiger defense on an 11-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Rebel workhorse was one shy of his career-high with 33 carries, totaling a season-best 177 yards on the ground.
"Going into this game, that was something Coach Kiffin put a big emphasis on—finishing drives, finishing toward the end of the game and in the fourth quarter and not giving up," Judkins said. "When we're in the red zone, we have to do our job, and everyone has to be responsible and really finish the drive. That was a big emphasis going into this game."
BIG DAY FOR DART
When Ashanti Cistrunk and the Landshark defense found LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels for a drive-ending sack with just over two minutes to go in the game, Jaxson Dart knew it was just a matter of time before the Rebels would have the lead.
"I thought we had an overwhelming amount of confidence moving the ball all game long," Dart said. "It was really cool, before I even went out into the huddle, on the sideline, I knew we were going to score. I just looked into everybody's eyes, just to see how determined they were and focused, also just calm. It was a feeling that just gave us an overwhelming amount of confidence that we were going to go down and score."
Of course, it wasn't much of a surprise to anyone who watched the Ole Miss offense on Saturday when Dart and Co. sliced down the field to reclaim the lead. The Rebel quarterback completed 26 passes and ran seven times for 439 total yards, including a jaw-dropping run and hurdle to end the third quarter and set the tone for the comeback.
"He really played amazing," Kiffin said. "A lot of quarterbacks, a lot of years, a lot of games and you're down two scores, and you don't take the team and lead them like that."
NEXT UP: OLE MISS VS. ARKANSAS
Ole Miss will be right back at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with another SEC rivalry next week, hosting Arkansas for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff on SEC Network.
Rebel fans will Stripe the Vaught in red and powder blue for the game. Limited tickets remain for the Rebels vs. Razorbacks at OleMissTix.com.
The 55 points scored were the most in program history against an AP ranked team, topping the 52-51 win over No. 13 Arkansas in 2021. Ole Miss and LSU combined for 1,343 yards in the shootout, the third-most of all-time between two SEC schools. Ole Miss racked up 706 total yards, the fourth 700-yard offensive game of the Kiffin era and the sixth in program history.
While the shootout was the story, the defense came through with a couple of key stops late to erase a nine-point deficit with just over five minutes to go.
"Extremely proud of our players," Kiffin said. "A lot of stuff happened there. We're down two scores in the fourth quarter against arguably the best offensive personnel in the country. Easy to give in. Not fluke plays. Guys had to drive the length of the field twice, had stop them. Then stop them again. Which we did. Just really proud of these guys."
Click here for a full recap, postgame notes, press conferences and more.
BIG PLAY TRE
After the win, Lane Kiffin said star receiver Tre Harris was at 90 percent health Saturday against LSU. As it turned out, that was still enough to earn an A grade for the Rebels.
After missing the Georgia Tech game and being limited at Alabama due to injury, Harris was back to form, leading Ole Miss with 153 yards, eight receptions and a touchdown, giving him six on the season. The Lafayette, Louisiana, native and Louisiana Tech transfer capped his day with a stunning run after the catch on the game-winning touchdown against his home-state team.
"That's exactly what I came here to do. That was probably the most fun game I've ever played in my life," Harris said. "To be honest, we hadn't hit on that play call all week. We weren't really repping it crazy or anything. But as soon as I got the ball in my hands, I knew I had to make a play. I smelled the end zone. The end zone was too close for me, and I knew I had to make a play to get there."
Big Play Tre@_treharris13 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/Y4h0ZWkSnt
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 30, 2023
TRE HARRIS FOR THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/9qqrA3tBUR
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 1, 2023
RED ZONE REBS
Finish was the word of the day for Ole Miss, which punched in all three of its fourth-quarter touchdowns from inside the red zone. The Rebels were a perfect 6-for-6 in red zone scoring on the day, including five touchdowns.
Quinshon Judkins was a big part of the red zone success, hauling in a 4-yard score top open the day's scoring, and then bruising the Tiger defense on an 11-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Rebel workhorse was one shy of his career-high with 33 carries, totaling a season-best 177 yards on the ground.
"Going into this game, that was something Coach Kiffin put a big emphasis on—finishing drives, finishing toward the end of the game and in the fourth quarter and not giving up," Judkins said. "When we're in the red zone, we have to do our job, and everyone has to be responsible and really finish the drive. That was a big emphasis going into this game."
Dart to Q on 4th 🫡@JaxsonDart x @qaj4_ pic.twitter.com/DulUVgOraQ
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 30, 2023
Can't Stop Q@qaj4_ | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/AuiqIPFluR
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 1, 2023
BIG DAY FOR DART
When Ashanti Cistrunk and the Landshark defense found LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels for a drive-ending sack with just over two minutes to go in the game, Jaxson Dart knew it was just a matter of time before the Rebels would have the lead.
"I thought we had an overwhelming amount of confidence moving the ball all game long," Dart said. "It was really cool, before I even went out into the huddle, on the sideline, I knew we were going to score. I just looked into everybody's eyes, just to see how determined they were and focused, also just calm. It was a feeling that just gave us an overwhelming amount of confidence that we were going to go down and score."
Of course, it wasn't much of a surprise to anyone who watched the Ole Miss offense on Saturday when Dart and Co. sliced down the field to reclaim the lead. The Rebel quarterback completed 26 passes and ran seven times for 439 total yards, including a jaw-dropping run and hurdle to end the third quarter and set the tone for the comeback.
"He really played amazing," Kiffin said. "A lot of quarterbacks, a lot of years, a lot of games and you're down two scores, and you don't take the team and lead them like that."
Must be the J's
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 1, 2023
⬆️ @JaxsonDart pic.twitter.com/jRkPfq8b7d
NEXT UP: OLE MISS VS. ARKANSAS
Ole Miss will be right back at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with another SEC rivalry next week, hosting Arkansas for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff on SEC Network.
Rebel fans will Stripe the Vaught in red and powder blue for the game. Limited tickets remain for the Rebels vs. Razorbacks at OleMissTix.com.
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