LSU got off to the best start it could've hoped for against a ranked team in a hostile environment. Everything went downhill from there.
Ole Miss rolled up 31 straight points before the Tigers fought back a bit in the fourth quarter, but the die was cast early in this one (and I'm sure I've written that exact sentence before in this bizarre, unrelenting 2021 season.
At the end of the day, the Tigers fall back to .500 again with a 31-17 loss, with matchups remaining against Alabama, Louisiana-Monroe and Texas A&M before the Ed Orgeron era ends in Baton Rouge.
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AT LEAST THE GAME WAS SHORT?
It's going to be rough watching LSU the rest of the season. That's not to say this team can't compete, they showed against Florida they have the talent and the will to fight. But with a lame-duck coach in Ed Orgeron and holes up and down the roster due to injury, there will inevitably be games that get out of hand.
The one positive is the clock goes fast when the game gets out of hand. After what felt like 5-plus-hour games every week, things were wrapped up in Oxford in a tidy 3 hours (stretched out a bit by a few extended reviews with the game well. out of reach).
The fact that 3 hours feels short is a college football dilemma to solve on another day, but considering all the negativity around the program at this point, getting it over quickly is a small mercy.
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THIRD DOWN IS THE WORST DOWN
LSU's defense didn't have a terrible day, at least not the whole time. They stood up well on the first few Ole Miss drives and took advantage of a few helpful penalties.
But it was a very specific set of downs that really demoralized the Tigers. That'd be third-and-long. Ole Miss converted on a 3rd-and-19 before a back-breaking touchdown heading into halftime. They also converted on a pair of 3rd-and-12 snaps to extend drives.
Otherwise LSU held up reasonably well on third down (Ole Miss converted 5-of-13), but nothing feels like it saps a defense's will to fight faster than surrendering on what should be a sure punt. Ole Miss was also a perfect 3-of-3 on 4th down attempts, including the play that ended the game.
Well, that and quick turnovers by the offense ... which was also the case. Max Johnson threw an interception on 4th down at the goal line and also fumbled twice, putting that defense back on the field. Matt Corral is a Heisman candidate and he was more than happy to run it in, finishing with a casual 180 yards and a touchdown passing while completing 77% of his passes (17-22), adding 24 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Johnson led a pair of effective drives, with LSU continuing to show improvement on the ground ... but that was about it, eventually giving way to Garrett Nussmeier in the 4th quarter. The true freshman finishing it out and looked effective, completing 7-of-12 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown on a pair of scoring drives that made the final score more respectable than it could've been.
Freshman Corey Kiner was also a bright spot, even in a difficult result. Ty Davis-Price still led the way, logging the Tigers' lone touchdown on the opening drive, but Kiner chipped in 49 yards and a handful of impressive runs on his 10 carries.
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IS LANE KIFFIN A POSSIBILITY?
Every college football game this season feels like it could be an audition for the job Ed Orgeron will vacate at the end of the 2021 season. Could Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin be that guy?
Ed Orgeron doesn't seem the type to bash the Tigers on the way out the door, and his relationship with Kiffin could go a long way in that regard -- should the Tigers pursue the Rebels head coach. It's certainly a possibility, considering Kiffin appeared the likely option to be Orgeron's offensive coordinator when he first took the job full-time back in the 2016 season.
Kiffin eventually landed at Florida Atlantic with an eye on working his way back into a Power-5 head coaching job. He's done that, of course, but is there a bit more shine on the job in Baton Rouge than exists in Oxford?
That remains to be seen. But if there were any questions on what LSU would be getting, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers' brass got a heck of an audition in a beatdown with Arch Manning -- and the rest of the Manning family -- looking on, along with a record crowd in Oxford.
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