Oh how sweet it is! Redemption is a common theme in the Rebels’ 55-49 win over LSU
OXFORD, Miss. — A week after falling on the road to Alabama, 24-10, the Rebels bowed their necks and showed their heart and simply refused to lose to LSU at Vaught-Hemingway, finishing off the Tigers, 55-49, on the last play of the game.
Redemption emerged as a common theme throughout Saturday’s thrilling win over the Tigers.
Redemption for the offensive playcalling that had been questioned by many in the loss to Alabama, redemption for the much-maligned offensive line, redemption for preseason All-American running back Quinshon Judkins who took out his frustrations against LSU in the form of 33 carries and 177 yards, and even redemption for the Rebels’ home crowd that head coach Lane Kiffin believes made a difference between winning and losing against the Tigers.
Playcalling
First things first….redemption for the offensive play calling. Last Saturday in Tuscaloosa, the Ole Miss offense could best be described as anemic, converting only 3-of-14 third downs and mustering just three points in the second half of a 24-10 loss to the Tide. Fans questioned and complained about who was calling the Rebels’ plays against Alabama and why they just weren’t working. Even some of the national media jumped on the bandwagon of criticizing and piling on Coach Kiffin for his team’s performance. One of the hottest questions in Oxford this last week was who, exactly, was calling the offensive plays.
But a “well-oiled machine” doesn’t even begin to describe the efficiency and effectiveness of the Ole Miss offense’s play-calling and execution against LSU. The numbers were simply mind-boggling, the performance, breathtaking.
This wasn’t Mercer. This offensive production was manufactured against one of the most legendary of college football secondaries, the vaunted DBU of the Tigers. And what the Rebel receivers did after the catch, particularly down the stretch when it mattered most, was artistry in the flesh, a beauty to behold.
The running backs knifed through the defensive front time and time again. The announcers spoke of the LSU D-linemen gasping for air as Ole Miss stampeded the line of scrimmage with relentless power and swiftness. And without warning, a kid from little old Louisiana Tech — Tre Harris — applied the dagger to the Louisiana Kingdom of football programs. And the war was won.
Inject this into my veins! pic.twitter.com/WoizsuXTfA
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) October 1, 2023
Against LSU, Ole Miss racked up 55 points and 706 yards of total offense. The Rebs amassed 389 yards passing and 317 on the ground. They went 9-for-16 on third down conversions against the Tigers — a 56% clip — after entering the game one of the worst in the league at 38 percent, and they finished Saturday a perfect 6-for-6 in the red zone.
Offensive line
Redemption for the offensive line is especially gratifying. It goes without saying that if the Ole Miss o-line doesn’t do its job, the win Saturday doesn’t happen and the Rebels sink off into the netherworld of the SEC West. But fortunately, the big fellas up front put Alabama behind them and came to play Saturday night in one of the biggest games of their careers.
Coach Kiffin talked about the unit after the game.
”I got to give them a lot of credit. I have been hard on them and they performed really well today. They took the challenge.”
Lane Kiffin on the o-line
Of course one player on whom the offensive line’s performance is definitely not lost is quarterback Jaxson Dart. He was effusive in his praise for how they played,
“I’m so proud of them. The criticism they’ve received, I know it’s been hard on them. We just had to get back to our identity as a team of being a balanced offense. They took great ownership and accountability of how they performed last week and the weeks before. All they wanted to do was come out this week and have a coming out party. That’s exactly what they did. I knew after the very first drive that every single one of them was locked in. I have felt like at times, that really wasn’t the case. We just weren’t in sync at times before this game. They had an outstanding week of practice of being physical and moving the line of scrimmage. We wanted to run the ball and we wanted to make that a point of emphasis coming into this week, because we knew we could have success in that part of the game. When they are able to play at a high level like that, it makes things so much easier.”
Jaxson Dart on the Rebel o-line
Quinshon Judkins
And then there’s redemption for last season’s single-season career rushing leader, Quinshon Judkins. While this talented back doesn’t really need redemption, per se, he had struggled to this point in the season to accumulate the same yardage from last year. Whether that was the blocking, the play calling, or Quinshon’s recent injury, who knows? But what we do know is he was simply a warhorse against LSU, carrying 33 times — one less than his career-high of 34 against A&M last season.
Judkins finished with season-highs of 177 rushing yards and 33 carries, including a season-long 37-yard burst. This marked his ninth career-game with over 100 rushing yards, tied for the fourth most all-time by an Ole Miss running back.
Quinshon Judkins pressed the B button. 😵💫 pic.twitter.com/XhpEnZedfS
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 30, 2023
He also ran in for a touchdown and hauled in a receiving touchdown and has now found the end zone 23 times in his career (21 rushing and two receiving), and that is tied for eighth all-time at Ole Miss in all-purpose touchdowns.
Coach Kiffin talked about his star back’s game against LSU.
“I thought he really battled. He actually got an IV at one point in the third quarter, so he was out. I thought [Ulysses] Bentley [IV] ran extremely well in between and then Quinshon came back out and really played with a different mentality, nothing against before, but a different mentality today. You know, like a big game mentality. He had a really big game a year ago against these guys so it was great to see.
Lane Kiffin on Q
Judkins was asked postgame if having a performance like this was a relief to him.
“Like I said, I came and did an interview for you guys last week, and I told you I believe in my O-line. I believe in my coaches. I know they will put me in the best position to win and be successful. So that was never a worry for me. When I go on the field, I know the player I am: the best player in the country. Just proved it today.”
Quinshon Judkins
The home crowd
And then there was redemption for the home crowd — the students, alumni and fans — who have often been called out and criticized, even by Coach Kiffin, for either not showing up or not staying for the entirety of the game.
But the fans’ support against LSU was next level, and it made a difference.
The official attendance was 66,703, the largest all-time attendance EVER in Vaught-Hemingway. They came, they cheered, and they stayed.
Rebels win!! Rebels win!!!
Final score: Ole Miss 55, LSU 49 pic.twitter.com/55aZxbewln— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) October 1, 2023
No one left, no one went back to the Grove, and no one gave up. They cheered for their team until the final seconds ticked off the clock and LSU’s pass went off the hands of the receiver and fell harmlessly into the turf.
Coach Kiffin began his postgame press conference by thanking the fans before he even addressed his team’s win.
“Before I do that, let me address something. I feel like I’m hard on our players. I’m hard on our coaches. We set high standards around here, and at times I’ve been hard on our fans. For them to show up today, after us losing last year, and set the record for highest attendance in school history for a game. We say to do things better than they’ve ever been done before, that’s a motto we have. That’s awesome to hear that. You could feel it in the game, you certainly could feel it in the fourth quarter. It was really, really neat to have that electric environment.“
Lane Kiffin on the students and fan support vs. LSU
Dart, too, was cognizant of the crowd and what they meant to the team. Their loud cheers forced Jayden Daniels to call timeouts on a couple of occasions, and they also led to some false starts that were huge when Ole Miss needed to add every bit of extra yardage for the Tigers they could muster.
“It was incredible. Usually when we come out during the second half, it’s not a full stadium still. When I came out in the second half, I was pumped. Even when they were booing (on a bad call by the referees), you could see the passion that they have. When the LSU side was chanting and we’re chanting back at them, I love that. They stood with us the whole game and when it came down to the wire, I feel like those two false starts were because of them. They played a huge role in us winning this game.”
Jaxson Dart on the crowd support
Yes, redemption was a theme in Saturday’s win — redemption, restoration and regeneration. All three took place against the Tigers, and there’s no doubt about it. The Rebels stay alive in the SEC West race with another key battle coming up in the Vaught Saturday against Arkansas.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Hotty Toddy!
(Feature image credit: Vasha Hunt, AP)
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
