It was a disappointing afternoon in Oxford for the LSU Tigers, who suffered their first loss of the season by a score of 24-19 to Ole Miss. The loss drops Brian Kelly's team to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play.
There was a lot that went wrong for LSU, as fans were left frustrated by a continued lack of offense. The Tigers lost by five, but it didn't feel that close. Ole Miss dominated in many aspects of the game, and LSU couldn't get the answers they needed. Here are three stats that made the difference in the 2025 Magnolia Bowl.
50 - Plays ran by the Ole Miss offense in the first half
The LSU defense was on the field a ton in the first half. Ole Miss dominated time of possession in the first 30 minutes, and the Tigers couldn't seem to get off the field. The Rebels racked up 50 first half plays en route to taking a 10-point lead into halftime. A big chunk of those plays came on an 18-play, 83-yard drive late in the first quarter. The drive resulted in a field goal which put Ole Miss on the scoreboard for the first time. Ole Miss then had a 9-play, 69-yard touchdown drive to take a 17-7 lead before the break.
While the LSU defense couldn't come up with timely stops, it didn't help that the offense couldn't get going either. The Tigers ran just 24 offensive plays in the first half compared to the Rebels' 50. That left the LSU defense gassed and hung out to dry. Blake Baker's unit just didn't enough have enough juice down the stretch after being asked to defend so many plays early on.
2 - 3rd down conversions for LSU
LSU failed to stay ahead of the chains all game long, managing just two 3rd down conversions on the afternoon. The Tigers went just 2-for-11 on 3rd down, which equates to a lowly conversion rate of just 18.2%. Garrett Nussmeier and company couldn't get things going on 1st or 2nd down either, which led to long 3rd down distances on a routine basis. That's not what you want to see. For comparison, Ole Miss posted a strong 8-for-16 mark on 3rd down.
385 - Total yards for Trinidad Chambliss
Simply put, the LSU defense didn't have an answer for Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss. The Rebel QB led the Ole Miss offense to 484 total yards, with Chambliss accounting for all but 99 of them. He completed 23 of his 39 pass attempts for 314 yards and a touchdown through the air, while also adding 71 yards on 14 carries on the ground. He elusiveness was especially frustrating for LSU, as he would wiggle out of trouble and make a play down the field when the LSU defense thought they were in a strong position to get a stop.
The Tigers were able to hand Chambliss his first interception of the season, but it ultimately didn't matter. The Ferris State transfer and Division II national champion made life difficult on the Tigers all game long, and given his strong performances in recent weeks, it won't be surprising to see Lane Kiffin keep Chambliss in the starting role even if Austin Simmons is healthy.