Ole Miss-LSU final score: 3 things we learned from the Tigers' 10-7 win

Two of the nation's best defenses lived up to the hype.

Ole Miss held LSU out of the end zone for nearly 55 minutes on Saturday, but their own inability to score ended up biting them. The Tigers put together an immense defensive effort and scored the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, bringing down the No. 3 Rebels, 10-7.

Ole Miss elected to go for it on third down after initially choosing to attempt the game-tying 47-yard field goal with nine seconds left, throwing an interception to seal the LSU win.

There was a chance we'd see points early in this one. The Tigers were able to move the ball early against the vaunted Rebel defense, earning three red zone opportunities in the first half. Thanks to a turnover and a missed field goal, LSU ended up with just three points from that stretch.

Ole Miss forced four turnovers in the game, but were unable to put enough points on the board to create space between them and the Tigers. Bo Wallace's 15-yard touchdown pass to Cody Core at the end of the first quarter was the Rebels' only scoring play of the day, proving not enough to take home the victory.

It took until the fourth quarter for LSU to finally score a touchdown, but it was the one they needed. Anthony Jennings found Logan Stokes on a play-action rollout with five minutes to play, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game and allowing them to hold on for the eventual victory.

Despite their troubles scoring for the first three quarters, LSU's efficiency numbers weren't actually all that bad. Anthony Jennings averaged 8.9 yards per attempt, while the Tigers averaged 4.8 yards per rush. They were finally able to turn that into an end zone trip in the fourth, bringing home the huge victory.

Three things we learned

1. Ole Miss will need help to get back in the playoff picture. Luckily, their schedule cooperates. The Rebels host Auburn last week and Mississippi State to end the season, giving them an opportunity to record victories over the SEC's two strongest playoff contenders. Two SEC teams could be represented in the playoff (although no one really knows what will quite occur), and Ole Miss has to impress in those opportunities to stake their claim in that race.

2. LSU can hang with (some of) the SEC big boys. Doubts rose after the Tigers' 41-7 loss to Auburn, but LSU's defense looks like one of the top units in the country. The Tigers gave up a few big plays to the sometimes explosive Ole Miss offense, but were mostly able to keep the Rebels off the scoreboard. Bo Wallace had a lot of trouble (14-34, 177 yards) and no Ole Miss rusher topped 40 yards on the ground. With a game against Alabama next week and winnable contests against Arkansas and Texas A&M left on the schedule, the Tigers still have further opportunities to prove themselves as a national presence.

3. Ole Miss's defense is still scary good. The Rebels gave up a bit more yardage than usual at the beginning of the game, but was able to clamp down when it needed to in red zone opportunities -- until the end, at least. The unit also made plays, per usual, with four turnovers limiting the Tigers' scoring ability at key times. Of LSU's eight drives that went for at least 20 yards, not much really occurred: three ended in turnovers, one in a punt, one in a missed field goal, one in a made field goal and one in the fateful touchdown.

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