OXFORD, Miss. — Sports columnist Scott Rabalais with his three takeaways from No. 4 LSU’s 24-19 loss Saturday at No. 13 Ole Miss:
1. NUSS BUS RUNS ROUGH
Garrett Nussmeier looked healthy against Southeastern Louisiana a week ago, but on Saturday he looked like he wasn’t right again. Even his 50-yard pass to Zavion Thomas that led to LSU’s first touchdown looked underthrown. And he reverted to forcing passes that led to an interception deep in Ole Miss territory, killing the Tigers’ momentum when they were up 7-3 and driving in the second quarter. The running game also did him no favors until it was too late.
2. SPEAKING OF THE RUNNING GAME …
Even with the absence of starting tailback Caden Durham (ankle), you figured LSU would be able to do something on the ground against an Ole Miss defense surrendering 190.5 yards per game rushing. The Tigers could not. LSU had just 31 yards rushing through three quarters and finished with 57 total. Offensive coordinator Joe Sloan faces mounting criticism, but give him credit for trying everything and everyone, including receivers such as Zavion Thomas and Barion Brown.
3. FINAL THOUGHTS
Any win or loss over the course of a football season is a big deal, so we won’t say LSU’s loss here Saturday was not huge. That said, one defeat doesn’t condemn the Tigers in their quest of reaching the College Football Playoff, though they can realistically afford only one more defeat. The problem is LSU’s problems — Nussmeier’s health, the running game, the blocking — may not be going away anytime soon. Time to regroup during a much-needed open date.