Tigers come up short in Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss

Once all the pregame hype was over and it was finally game time, both teams started with a series of miscues. Trinidad threw a backward pass which hit the ground and was almost recovered by the Tigers. LSU's quarterback could not get anything going due to penalties and a big defensive onslaught from the Rebels. After the jitters were dismissed, Trinidad commanded the game and started looking and playing like a Heisman forerunner. At the end of the first half, Rebels' quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the Rebels to a 24-7 halftime lead with 248 yards passing for two touchdowns. LSU only scored once on a long drive ending with Dillion Jones scoring with less than two minutes left before halftime. Everything was hard for the Tigers; the offense sputtered and the defense seemed gassed!

The start of the second half proved to be a whole different story for LSU. The Tigers ran off 17 unanswered points to tie the score 24-24 in the fourth quarter. The tie score was short-lived due to Trinidad Chambliss' 14-yard touchdown run with just over six minutes left to play in the game. LSU almost pushed the game to overtime, but Ole Miss ended up intercepting the ball in the end zone on a 4th and goal pass attempt by LSU's quarterback, Sam Leavitt. The Tigers fought fiercely in the second half, but came up a little too late, losing 32-24. On a disturbing note, two of LSU's top starters suffered injuries—Trey'Dez Green and DaShawn Spears did not return to the game. LSU now has to regroup and prepare for the next contest as the Texas A&M Aggies come to Baton Rouge next Saturday night. The Aggies will also try to get back to winning, as they lost this Saturday to Kentucky.

Individual Stats:

  - Passing: Sam Leavitt 16/27, 158 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

  - Rushing: Dillion Jones 23 rushes, 106 yards, 1 TD

  - Receiving: Winston Watkins Jr., 3 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD

  - Defense: Princewill Umanmielen and Ty Benefield had 1 sack each