BATON ROUGE, La. — Solutions come simpler after blowout losses.
And Ole Miss soccer’s 29-26 time beyond regulation loss at LSU was something however a blowout. The No. 8 Rebels (5-2, 1-2 SEC) didn’t path in regulation towards LSU (5-1, 2-0) however surrendered a game-tying landing move with 27 seconds left when LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier hit sophomore Aaron Anderson ultimately zone on fourth-and-5.
After Ole Miss needed to accept an extended discipline aim to start out time beyond regulation, LSU gained the sport in a single play. Nussmeier lofted a move down the suitable sideline to senior receiver Kyren Lacy. He elevated and caught it, sending the gang of greater than 100,000 right into a frenzy that spilled on to the sector.
“I am actually disenchanted, clearly,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin stated. “We must always’ve gained that recreation. We form of commanded the sport for almost all of it. However credit score to them for making performs late within the fourth quarter and time beyond regulation.”
The Rebels outgained LSU in complete yards, 464 to 421. The disparity was particularly obvious on the bottom, the place Ole Miss greater than doubled LSU’s dashing output, 180 to 84. For a lot of the first half and even into the second, the Rebels had a noticeable, if unsteady, management of the sport.
“I don’t perceive how we misplaced,” Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart stated. “They did a couple of game-plan issues. I don’t perceive how we misplaced.”
Maybe the Rebels’ second offensive play was a harbinger of issues to come back. Receiver Tre Harris, who entered the sport because the nation’s main receiver, dropped a deep ball from Dart that appeared like it could’ve been an 81-yard landing.
Within the second quarter, Ole Miss obtained the ball on its 25-yard line with 26 seconds left. Dart accomplished a 5-yard move to working again Henry Parrish, who had the ball torn from his fingers. As a substitute of the clock working out and the Rebels working by way of the tunnel with a 17-10 lead, LSU obtained a free discipline aim.
Ole Miss additionally was stopped in a crucial spot on a fourth-and-1 with 6:15 left within the first quarter. With the ball on the LSU 4-yard line, the Rebels snapped the ball on to Parrish, who was dragged down for no achieve.
“These issues meet up with you,” Kiffin stated. “You miss a discipline aim. A fourth-and-1 the place we do not get it reduce off so we get no factors within the pink zone. We hand them three factors with the fumble on the finish of the half. That is why I felt like we had been outplaying them, and we had been the higher staff for almost all of the sport. However you have to shut them out.”
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. E mail him at [email protected] or attain him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_