SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 17, 2012
No. 7 Louisiana State 41, Mississippi 35: Jeremy Hill scored his third touchdown with 15 seconds left as the host Tigers survived an upset bid by the Rebels and kept alive their slim chance at a Southeastern Conference title.
The teams combined for 890 yards and seven turnovers in a wild affair that hinged on special teams and a critical penalty. Odell Beckham returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown with 9:10 left to pull Louisiana State (9-2, 5-2 SEC) into a 35-35 tie and an ill-timed roughing-the-passer call gave the Tigers new life on the game-winning drive after Mississippi's Bryson Rose missed a 53-yard field goal.
Zach Mettenberger completed 22 of 37 passes for 282 yards with two interceptions for LSU. Bo Wallace had 310 yards and threw three interceptions but also accounted for four touchdowns for the Rebels (5-6, 2-5), including two on the ground.
Wallace capped a 97-yard drive with a 1-yard run with 50 seconds left in the first half to give Ole Miss a 21-17 lead. The Rebels went up 28-20 on a Randall Mackey 6-yard touchdown run late in the third and took a 35-28 lead when Wallace lofted a 30-yard scoring pass to Donte Moncrief with 11:11 to go.
After Beckham's punt return for a score, the Rebels punted again but soon got the ball back on a fumble recovery. However, Rose missed wide right on his field-goal attempt with 4:18 left. The big penalty on third-and-3 gave the Tigers another chance, and Hill, who rushed for 77 yards, punched it in three plays later.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Moncrief had six catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns. ... The Tigers need to win at Arkansas on Friday and hope for Alabama to lose at Auburn and for Texas A&M to win at Missouri in order to represent the SEC West in the league title game. ... Freshman Stephen Rivers, the younger brother of San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, threw his second career pass after Mettenberger was knocked out for a play in the third quarter.