By Elijah Klepczyk
Emmerich Newspapers
With 58 seconds remaining in the game, LSU reached 4th‑and‑goal at the Ole Miss six, needing both a touchdown and a two‑point conversion to pull even and potentially force overtime in Oxford.
Rebel fans were at full-throat as Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt dropped back to pass, Ole Miss defensive tackle Kam Franklin jumped, tipped the ball with his helmet and it landed in the waiting arms of Rebels cornerback Jaylon Braxton, securing the Ole Miss win 32-24.
“It took all of us tonight,” head coach Pete Golding said after securing his first SEC victory at the helm. The matchup carried plenty of storylines — the return of former coach Lane Kiffin, a top‑10 showdown, and the weight of a historic rivalry — but Golding said he was “proud” of how his team handled the pressure and kept the Magnolia Bowl Trophy in Oxford.
Golding credited the fans afterward, calling the environment “an unbelievable atmosphere.” Kiffin’s return was met with constant boos, and the crowd erupted for every positive Ole Miss play, creating the kind of edge Golding said his team fed off all night.
Golding emphasized postgame that the Rebels didn’t spend the entire offseason “to win one football game.” He said they have to reset quickly, adding, “We have got to come back to work tomorrow,” with a “really good” Florida team waiting.
The Gators are also under new direction this year with first‑year head coach Jon Sumrall, who is no stranger to Ole Miss after coaching against the Rebels twice last season while leading Tulane. “I have got a ton of respect for Jon,” Golding said of the new coach.
Despite the Rebels beating the Green Wave both times last year, Golding said this is a new story. “This is a different roster, with the same mentality, which is scary,” he said, adding that their tailback, Jaden Baugh, is “one of the best backs in the county.”
The last time Ole Miss visited the Swamp, Florida spoiled the Rebels’ playoff hopes in 2024 with a 24‑17 win — a loss Ole Miss will be looking to avenge.
It will be a top‑25 matchup, with Ole Miss climbing to No. 4 this week and Florida entering at No. 21 after its 44‑39 win at Auburn. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and will be televised on ABC.
The Rebels had a dream start against LSU, jumping out to a 17 point lead, on the back of a Kewan Lacy 5-yard rushing score and a 21 yard strike from Trnidad Chambliss to Traylon Ray. Ole Miss’ defense did allow a score, but responded right before half with another Chambliss dart from 20 yards out to Deuce Alexander.
Ole Miss took a 24‑7 lead into halftime but allowed 17 straight points in the second half, a lapse Golding said can’t continue. “If you keep on playing with fire, you are going to get burned,” he said, adding it’s the third game this year his team has started slow after the break.
Injuries may have contributed to the slow third quarter, with Lacy going down with a knee injury half-way through the third. Lacy did not return to the game, but Golding said that the injury “was not nearly as bad as they thought it was,” and that the MRI results look promising. Lacy will be a game-time decision for their matchup this weekend.
The Rebels finally found paydirt in the fourth, with Chambliss weaving his way in from 14 yards out. Ole Miss kept the offense out for the two‑point try, and back‑to‑back LSU offsides penalties moved the ball inside the one yard-line. JT Lindsey finished the job, stretching the lead to eight — a cushion that proved enough to send Kiffin and the Tigers out of Oxford empty‑handed.
Next week the SEC road gauntlet continues with the Rebels taking their second trip to Nashville this season to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores.
