- LSU stored its School Soccer Playoff hopes afloat with a dramatic win over Ole Miss. What’s it imply for Brian Kelly? That is robust to say.
- LSU leapfrogs Ole Miss in playoff pecking order.
- LSU protection grows a backbone, Garrett Nussmeier comes up clutch, and Lane Kiffin’s Rebels wilt once more.
BATON ROUGE, La. – Keep in mind Saturday night time.
If LSU scratches and claws and muddies and escapes and fights its manner into the School Soccer Playoff, bear in mind the night time the No. 10 Tigers gained a recreation they by no means led till the ultimate play.
If this 29-26 additional time win over No. 8 Ole Miss galvanizes Brian Kelly’s tenure, and he proves himself value that $95 million funding LSU made three years in the past, bear in mind the night time his protection grew a backbone and his quarterback fought via the robust occasions.
And when it was completed, LSU fired off sufficient fireworks that it might’ve been Independence Day, whereas followers stormed the sphere. By no means thoughts that the Tigers have been only a slight underdog.
This unbelievable escape warranted celebration.
“These moments don’t come usually in life, for positive,” LSU linebacker Whit Weeks stated. “It was enjoyable.”
It turned a turning-point victory in Kelly’s turning-point third season.
Or, it supplied LSU a gulp of pleasure earlier than the underside falls out within the second half of the schedule.
I’m unsure which it’ll show to be. I might imagine both.
LSU’s six remaining video games are towards SEC competitors. There’s not a recreation remaining LSU (5-1) can’t win – or a recreation it couldn’t lose.
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And the Tigers may very well be the SEC’s second-best staff or its seventh-best staff. I’m unconvinced there’s a lot distinction.
“This league is vast open,” LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier stated. “I believe we took an enormous step tonight.”
It’s vast open behind Texas, anyway.
LSU soccer leapfrogs Ole Miss in playoff pecking order
As for LSU’s cardiac cats, they’re nonetheless somewhat tough across the edges, however so are most SEC groups. They’re enhancing, they battle, they’ve obtained a quarterback, and some good receivers, and their protection discovered a pulse towards a top-10 opponent, and so, what the heck, why can’t the Tigers make the playoff? They’ve obtained about nearly as good of an opportunity as quite a few different groups that sit on one loss.
They’ve obtained a greater likelihood of constructing the playoff than Ole Miss (5-2). I do know that a lot.
“We’re actual,” Nussmeier stated afterward. “The Tigers are actual. I believe we proved that tonight. There have been struggles, and there have been errors, however we discovered a technique to win the sport.”
Kelly raved about LSU’s efficiency – not as a result of it was good, however as a result of it wasn’t, and the Tigers nonetheless hung inside putting distance till they lastly broke via whereas Ole Miss caved. He raved a few protection that provided six sacks. He raved about his quarterback who shrugged off two interceptions, plus a slew of incompletions, and threw landing passes on his remaining two tosses.
“This staff is getting higher,” Kelly stated.
That’s a good evaluation, and the identical may very well be stated of Kelly’s 2022 Tigers, who misplaced their season opener earlier than upsetting Alabama and reaching the SEC Championship Recreation.
LSU beat Alabama that season on a 2-point conversion. Given one other likelihood Saturday to win a rivalry recreation with a 2-point attempt, Kelly modified course. He didn’t desire a single play to resolve this consequence.
“I simply felt like our guys labored too arduous to get again in that recreation” Kelly stated, “that I didn’t need to go for 2 in an all-or-nothing scenario.”
So, after Nussmeier introduced LSU to inside some extent with a fourth-down landing dart to Aaron Anderson, Kelly elected for an additional level to tie the sport and drive additional time.
Rely Weeks amongst these happiest that Kelly didn’t order up a 2-point conversion.
“I used to be glad to get to play some extra ball,” Weeks stated. “Shoot, we don’t get to play once more ‘til subsequent Saturday. I like taking part in extra soccer.”
LSU’s protection, which performed nicely all through the second half, vindicated Kelly’s determination.
As the gang reached decibels it hadn’t hit all night time, the Rebels moved in reverse throughout their additional time possession and wanted a 57-yard subject objective to salvage factors.
Mission completed for LSU’s protection. After which …
“It’s go time,” LSU vast receiver Kyren Lacy stated.
Successful time, too.
Nussmeier tossed to Lacy on the primary play of LSU’s additional time possession.
Comeback full.
Garrett Nussmeier delivers for LSU in clutch
The extra the Tigers performed, the higher they appeared.
The sport remained scoreless after the primary quarter, however LSU might think about itself lucky to not be trailing 17-0. Ole Miss’ Tre Harris dropped what ought to have been an 81-yard landing go, and that expensive drop was other than two first-quarter red-zone journeys that produced no factors.
“We commanded nearly all of the sport,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin stated. “… They’re a great staff, and we’re a great staff, however we must always’ve gained that recreation.”
Which should make it all of the extra maddening for Kiffin that the Rebels misplaced.
Ole Miss spent a reasonably penny – bundles of pennies, the truth is – to enhance its protection through a switch haul, and though the unit undeniably improved, this marks twice that it’s didn’t ship game-winning stops in important moments.
Simply two weeks in the past, Kentucky used a fourth-and-7 completion to maintain alive a drive that ended with a game-winning landing.
Nussmeier wanted two fourth-down completions simply to tie this recreation, then one 25-yard strike to Lacy to win it.
“We’re a gritty bunch. We’re going to maintain combating to the very finish,” Weeks stated. “We knew the entire recreation, we’re not dropping this ballgame.”
If Weeks knew that whereas Ole Miss managed a lot of the sport, then credit score his religion. And credit score the Tigers’ resilience.
That is the night time Kelly’s tenure took off. Or, not.
However, it’s actually the night time LSU pulled off a most unbelievable comeback, preserved its playoff hopes, and put Ole Miss’ personal aspirations on life assist.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Community’s nationwide faculty soccer columnist. E-mail him at [email protected] and observe him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
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