• LSU stored its School Soccer Playoff hopes afloat with a dramatic win over Ole Miss. What’s it imply for Brian Kelly? That is robust to say.
• LSU leapfrogs Ole Miss in playoff pecking order.
• LSU protection grows a backbone, Garrett Nussmeier comes up clutch, and Lane Kiffin’s Rebels wilt once more.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Keep in mind Saturday night time.

If LSU scratches and claws and muddies and escapes and fights its approach into the School Soccer Playoff, bear in mind the night time the No. 10 Tigers gained a recreation they by no means led till the ultimate play.

If this 29-26 extra time win over No. 8 Ole Miss galvanizes Brian Kelly’s tenure, and he proves himself value that $95 million funding LSU made three years in the past, bear in mind the night time his protection grew a backbone and his quarterback fought by way of the robust instances.

And when it was completed, LSU fired off sufficient fireworks that it might’ve been Independence Day, whereas followers stormed the sphere. By no means thoughts that the Tigers have been only a slight underdog.

This unbelievable escape warranted celebration.

“These moments don’t come typically in life, for certain,” LSU linebacker Whit Weeks mentioned. “It was enjoyable.”

It turned a turning-point victory in Kelly’s turning-point third season.

Or, it supplied LSU a gulp of pleasure earlier than the underside falls out within the second half of the schedule.

I’m unsure which it’ll show to be. I might imagine both.

LSU’s six remaining video games are towards SEC competitors. There’s not a recreation remaining LSU (5-1) can’t win – or a recreation it couldn’t lose.

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And the Tigers might be the SEC’s second-best crew or its seventh-best crew. I’m unconvinced there’s a lot distinction.

“This league is large open,” LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier mentioned. “I believe we took an enormous step tonight.”

It’s large open behind Texas, anyway.

LSU soccer leapfrogs Ole Miss in playoff pecking order

As for LSU’s cardiac cats, they’re nonetheless somewhat tough across the edges, however so are most SEC groups. They’re bettering, they battle, they’ve acquired a quarterback, and some good receivers, and their protection discovered a pulse towards a top-10 opponent, and so, what the heck, why can’t the Tigers make the playoff? They’ve acquired about pretty much as good of an opportunity as a lot of different groups that sit on one loss.

They’ve acquired a greater probability of constructing the playoff than Ole Miss (5-2). I do know that a lot.

“We’re actual,” Nussmeier mentioned afterward. “The Tigers are actual. I believe we proved that tonight. There have been struggles, and there have been errors, however we discovered a technique to win the sport.”

Kelly raved about LSU’s efficiency – not as a result of it was excellent, however as a result of it wasn’t, and the Tigers nonetheless hung inside placing distance till they lastly broke by way of whereas Ole Miss caved. He raved a few protection that equipped six sacks. He raved about his quarterback who shrugged off two interceptions, plus a slew of incompletions, and threw landing passes on his remaining two tosses.

“This crew is getting higher,” Kelly mentioned.

That’s a good evaluation, and the identical might be mentioned of Kelly’s 2022 Tigers, who misplaced their season opener earlier than upsetting Alabama and reaching the SEC Championship Recreation.

LSU beat Alabama that season on a 2-point conversion. Given one other probability Saturday to win a rivalry recreation with a 2-point strive, Kelly modified course. He didn’t need a single play to determine this final result.

“I simply felt like our guys labored too onerous to get again in that recreation” Kelly mentioned, “that I didn’t wish to go for 2 in an all-or-nothing scenario.”

So, after Nussmeier introduced LSU to inside some extent with a fourth-down landing dart to Aaron Anderson, Kelly elected for an additional level to tie the sport and pressure extra time.

Depend Weeks amongst these happiest that Kelly didn’t order up a 2-point conversion.

“I used to be glad to get to play some extra ball,” Weeks mentioned. “Shoot, we don’t get to play once more ‘til subsequent Saturday. I like enjoying extra soccer.”

LSU’s protection, which performed nicely all through the second half, vindicated Kelly’s determination.

As the gang reached decibels it hadn’t hit all night time, the Rebels moved in reverse throughout their extra time possession and wanted a 57-yard area objective to salvage factors.

Mission completed for LSU’s protection. After which …

“It’s go time,” LSU large receiver Kyren Lacy mentioned.

Successful time, too.

Nussmeier tossed to Lacy on the primary play of LSU’s extra time possession.

Comeback full.

Garrett Nussmeier delivers for LSU in clutch

The extra the Tigers performed, the higher they appeared.

The sport remained scoreless after the primary quarter, however LSU might contemplate itself lucky to not be trailing 17-0. Ole Miss’ Tre Harris dropped what ought to have been an 81-yard landing cross, and that expensive drop was other than two first-quarter red-zone journeys that produced no factors.

“We commanded nearly all of the sport,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin mentioned. “… They’re a superb crew, and we’re a superb crew, however we should always’ve gained that recreation.”

Which should make it all of the extra maddening for Kiffin that the Rebels misplaced.

Ole Miss spent a reasonably penny – bundles of pennies, in reality – to enhance its protection by way of a switch haul, and though the unit undeniably improved, this marks twice that it’s did not ship game-winning stops in crucial moments.

Simply two weeks in the past, Kentucky used a fourth-and-7 completion to maintain alive a drive that ended with a game-winning landing.

Nussmeier wanted two fourth-down completions simply to tie this recreation, then one 25-yard strike to Lacy to win it.

“We’re a gritty bunch. We’re going to maintain preventing to the very finish,” Weeks mentioned. “We knew the entire recreation, we’re not shedding this ballgame.”

If Weeks knew that whereas Ole Miss managed a lot of the sport, then credit score his religion. And credit score the Tigers’ resilience.

That is the night time Kelly’s tenure took off. Or, not.

However, it’s definitely the night time LSU pulled off a most unbelievable comeback, preserved its playoff hopes, and put Ole Miss’ personal aspirations on life assist.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Community’s nationwide faculty soccer columnist. E-mail him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and comply with him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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