Ole Miss holds on to upset LSU

OXFORD, Miss. — Mississippi kicker Andrew Ritter said his game-winning 41-yard field-goal attempt felt good off his foot. Then he watched with dread as it started drifting right. By the time it reached the uprights, it was dangerously close.

The senior held his breath. So did the rest of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

It sailed through with about a foot to spare. The crowd exploded. It was the finishing touch on Mississippi’s 27-24 upset victory over No. 6 LSU on Saturday night. “Can you believe it?” Ritter asked. It was a happy ending for Ole Miss (4-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) after the Rebels let a 17-point lead slip away completely when LSU’s Zach Mettenberger hit Jarvis Landry for a 4yard touchdown to tie it at 24 with 3:19 remaining.

But the Rebels responded with a methodical 14-play drive that ended in Ritter’s field goal with two seconds remaining.

It capped a remarkable day of upsets across the league. LSU joined Georgia, Texas A&M, Florida and South Carolina as ranked SEC teams to lose Saturday.

Bo Wallace completed 30 of 39 passes for 346 yards and Jaylen Walton rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns for the Rebels, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

LSU (6-2, 3-2) nearly pulled off the comeback, but couldn’t overcome a rough game by Mettenberger, who threw three crucial interceptions.

The winning field goal was redemption for Ritter, who had a 29-yard attempt blocked earlier in the fourth quarter.

LSU moved the ball fairly well in the first half, especially on the ground, but Mettenberger’s bad decisions and poor throws cost the Tigers dearly.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound senior came into the game leading the SEC with 1,890 yards,15 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

But he had a brutal first half, throwing three interceptions, including two in the end zone.

All three were thrown into tight coverage. Mettenberger finished 19 of 33 passing for 274 yards and a touchdown.