Ole Miss defensive stand vs. LSU leads to field storming at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium

Ole Miss football is a lot of things under coach Lane Kiffin. Defensive stalwart is not one of them.

But that makes the 20th-ranked Rebels' 55-49 victory over No. 12 LSU that much sweeter: In a game that was defense-optional (as evidenced by the final score), it was a last-second defensive stand by Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC play) that helped the Rebels to a win over LSU (3-2, 2-1).

Of course, the stand was predicated by a potentially devastating sequence that saw Ole Miss give up a 42-yard catch-and-run by Chris Hilton Jr. and a 15-yard personal foul penalty in the span of four plays. LSU had the ball at the Rebels' 16-yard line with 12 seconds left, but two false start penalties in the hostile confines of Vaught-Hemingway gave LSU time enough for one last play from the Ole Miss 26.

Finally, defense prevailed: Quarterback Jayden Daniels' pass to Hilton bounced through the receiver's hands harmlessly onto the turf, securing the signature win for Kiffin and Co.:

REQUIRED READING: Ole Miss outlasts LSU football in wild high-scoring affair in Oxford

Unsurprisingly, the home-crowd faithful showed their appreciation for the Rebels by storming the field. It's sure to incur a financial fine from the Southeastern Conference, but it's one Ole Miss will surely be happy to pay: It's just the Rebels' second win over the Tigers in their last eight meetings.

Despite the win, Kiffin gave nudge-wink moment in the postgame interview when he said, "We scored more points than they did."

REQUIRED READING: LSU football score, updates vs. Ole Miss

That was especially true in the fourth quarter, which saw the Rebels outscore the Tigers 21-7. That includes Jaxson Dart's 13-yard pass to Tre Harris with just 40 seconds remaining in the game, followed by the pivotal 2-point conversion. It seemed as if that might not be enough time or Daniels to muster a scoring drive, though LSU very nearly pulled off the come-from-behind win despite the little time remaining.

All the better for a nail-biter ending in Oxford.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ole Miss defensive stand leads to win, field storming vs. LSU