How Ole Miss football and Lane Kiffin delivered fans their long-awaited moment vs LSU

OXFORD — At bedlam's border, Ole Miss football defensive tackle JJ Pegues celebrated with a youngster, who'd rushed onto the field to slap his hand. In the thick of it, coach Lane Kiffin embraced athletic director Keith Carter ‒ likely more than happy to write the check the SEC will demand as penance for the field storming.

Outside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, where the Rebels won a 55-49 instant classic Saturday, one fan lit a cigar. Another carried a grinning child on his shoulders. A few in purple sulked. And dozens in red sang. Hotty Toddy, of course, was the only verse for the occasion.

Hell Yeah, Damn Right, these Rebels had taken down No. 12 LSU, injecting fresh impetus into a season many seemed ready to toss in the dumpster after a disappointing loss to Alabama last week.

And Hell Yeah, Damn Right, they'd done it their way.

Kiffin's offense decimated the LSU defense to the tune of 706 total yards. The No. 20 Rebels (4-1, 1-1 SEC) ran for 317 of them, revitalizing a floundering ground game central to the offensive identity Kiffin has built.

Ole Miss did not turn the ball over. The Tigers (3-2, 2-1), loaded with elite pass-rushing options, did not sack Jaxson Dart.

"That's as good as you can perform, really," Kiffin said.

Kiffin, understandably, sought to distance himself from the defensive struggles postgame. No coach wants to lean into an identity that involves giving up 49 points at home, even against an offense stuffed with elite talent like Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers.

But make no mistake. Saturday, the Rebels did things Kiffin's way. They were fast – Ole Miss ran 88 plays. They were explosive – Ole Miss connected on 21 big plays (defined as rushes of 10+ yards and completions of 15-plus yards.) They were fun – just look at the postgame scenes.

And they were chaotic in the best of ways. Once holding a 14-point lead, Ole Miss trailed for almost the entire second half, going ahead with Tre Harris' 13-yard touchdown reception with 39 seconds to go. Even then, LSU managed to march into Ole Miss territory before its last-gasp drive ran short of oxygen.

The Ole Miss players made available to the media postgame said they'd never experienced a game like it.

"Hell nah," quarterback Jaxson Dart said when he was asked.

The catharsis was visible. You saw it in the students as they swarmed from their perch beyond The Vaught's north end zone. You saw it in the players, who had been subjected to a week of brutal criticism after they fell flat at Alabama. You saw it in Kiffin, who held a 1-19 record against Power Five foes who went on to win at least nine games coming into this season.

The loss to Alabama again raised questions as to whether his formula can really work against the SEC's top tier. Needing a counterexample in the worst way, Kiffin got one.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself all the time," Kiffin said. "I was really disappointed. I saw Keith after the game at Alabama and apologized to him. I thought we should have won that game. I take that on myself.

"I'm really proud of our players. That's not an easy team to beat."

There will be time to analyze what it means in a chaotic SEC West later.

This isn't up for debate: Ole Miss gave the record-breaking crowd of 66,703 a moment. And moments are college football's currency.

"That was the best game I've ever played in my life," Harris said, "the most fun game I've ever played in my life."

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Ole Miss football win vs LSU offered best of coach Lane Kiffin