Lane Kiffin praises Ole Miss first-half defense vs. LSU: 'They have one fluke touchdown'

As he evaluated Ole Miss’ first-half performance against LSU, Lane Kiffin offered high praise for his defense. The Rebels held the Tigers to just 126 yards of offense – and, in his words, allowed just “one fluke touchdown.”

The play in question occurred in the first quarter. Garrett Nussmeier threw a pass toward the end zone, but it got tipped up in the air. However, wide receiver Nic Anderson was there to catch the ricochet, giving LSU the early 7-0 lead.

That proved to be the only time the Tigers found the end zone in the first half. Kiffin called it a “fluke” while praising his defense, as well as Trinidad Chambliss’ ability to settle in.

“I think he was rattled early with everything, and then he calmed down and made some plays around him,” Kiffin said of Chambliss while speaking with ABC’s Molly McGrath. “And really, our defense is playing really well. They had one fluke touchdown. That was their only score.

“We’re going to have to play really well in the second half, play really good defense and continue to run the ball for some balance against these guys. They’ve got great players.”

LSU also got a 50-yard pass play at one point in the first half, which proved to be the only explosive Ole Miss allowed. In the second half, though, Lane Kiffin said another area needed to change: penalties.

“I think they had the one long play,” Kiffin said. “Other than that, they haven’t given up big plays. That was our theme – stay deep, make them earn it. And we’ve got to clean up our penalties, too.”

Ole Miss totaled 285 yards of offense in the first half, led by 193 on 15 of 25 passing from Chambliss. The Rebels also out-gained LSU 92-24 on the ground with Kewan Lacy leading the charge with 14 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown. Chambliss also had seven carries for 40 yards.

But penalties were especially important for both teams. Ole Miss committed 10 penalties for 69 yards while LSU had six penalties for 74 yards through two quarters of play.

On the LSU side, Garrett Nussmeier had an up-and-down go through the first half. He went 9 of 15 for 102 yards and a touchdown, along with an interception. The Tigers’ running game stalled, though, with just 24 yards on the ground. Zavion Thomas led with four carries, but just seven yards.