Dynamic Daniels, LSU deal Mississippi its first defeat
LSU 45 Mississippi 20
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels’s dynamism has bamboozled defenses in back-to-back games.
Daniels ran for three touchdowns and passed for two scores, and LSU roared back from an early two-touchdown deficit to hand No. 7 Mississippi its first loss this season, 45-20, on Saturday.
The effort gave Daniels the LSU record for rushing touchdowns in a season by a quarterback with nine. Daniels has accounted for 11 TDs rushing and passing combined in two games. He had three of each in a 45-35 win at Florida last weekend.
“I expected that,” Daniels said of his newly established school record and his prolific two-game stretch. “I know what I’m capable of doing.”
Reveling in the resounding triumph over a historical and highly ranked rival, LSU fans stormed the field as the game ended. Now LSU (6-2, 4-1 SEC) is back in the race to win the SEC West — if the Tigers can beat No. 6 Alabama.
“We’re executing at a high level. We’re exerting our will,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “Our best players are now starting to play their best football.”
After being outgained, 200-80, in the first quarter and falling behind, 17-3, on Jonathan Cruz’s field goal to start the second, LSU outscored Mississippi, 42-3, the remainder of the game.
“You can see the resilience in this team,” Daniels said. “Once we get going, we’re hard to stop.”
Ole Miss (7-1, 3-1) was trying to start 8-0 for the first time since 1962, but coach Lane Kiffin was left to lament his team’s collapse after a strong start.
“I said all week they had elite players and it will be difficult to win against these guys,” Kiffin said. “We got pushed around. They did a really good job and we didn’t do a lot right defensively. It obviously wasn’t a good feeling at the end.”
The Tigers finished with 500 total yards to 404 for the vaunted Mississippi offense. LSU rushed for 252 yards and finished with 35 first downs.
Daniels passed for 248 yards and ran for 121. His scoring passes went for 34 yards to Jaray Jenkins and 1 yard to tight end Mason Taylor. He ran for touchdowns of 3, 11, and 17 yards, the longest all but salting the game away in the fourth quarter.
Josh Williams ran 1 yard for the Tigers’ final TD late in the fourth quarter.
Nearly everything went right for LSU in the second half. Even linebacker Harold Perkins’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a thirddown stop at the Rebels’ 15-yard line early in the fourth quarter couldn’t turn the tide. Down by 11, Ole Miss had to punt anyway minutes later.
Daniels then drove the Tigers 75 yards for a touchdown to make it 38-20.
LSU’s defense battered Jaxson Dart (19 of 24, 284 yards) in the second half. With Ole Miss driving for a potential go-ahead TD in the third, the Rebels QB was interecepted in the end zone by Joe Foucha on a pass thrown under pressure.
“Sometimes you don’t expect to get hit when you are throwing it,” Dart said. “I just wasn’t able to get enough on it.”
After first-quarter touchdown runs of 3 and 6 yards by Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss was threatening to go ahead, 21-3, when LSU’s stuffed Dart’s keeper on third and 5 from the LSU 13, limiting the Rebels to a field goal.
The Tigers then rallied to tie it before Cruz’s 48yard field goal gave Mississippi a 20-17 lead that stood until halftime.