LSU Tumbles 10 Spots In A.P. Poll To No. 23 After Falling To Ole Miss, 55-49, In Classic

LSU has been playing football since 1893, and has usually been good on defense.

That was not the case on Saturday night in Oxford, Mississippi. LSU allowed the most yards it has ever given up - 706 in a 55-49 loss to Ole Miss. Just last week, the Rebels managed only 301 yards in a 24-10 loss at Alabama. Even LSU's horrible 2020 defense under coordinator Bo Pelini was never this bad in one game.

As a result, the Tigers (3-2, 2-1 SEC) dropped more than any other team in the Associated Press poll on Sunday - from No. 13 to No. 23.

Georgia Bulldogs Remain No. 1

There were not many changes in the rest of the A.P. poll as the first seven teams remained the same. Georgia was No. 1, followed by Michigan, Texas, Ohio State, Florida State, Penn State and Washington.

LSU opened the season ranked No. 5, but its defense allowed 494 yards in a 45-24 blowout to No. 8 Florida State.

LSU will try to regroup against one of the hotter teams in the SEC. The Tigers play at No. 21 Missouri (5-0, 1-0 SEC) on Saturday (Noon, ESPN).

LSU Coach Brian Kelly Says Tigers' Season Will Go On

"Listen, we're not canceling the season, OK," LSU coach Brian Kelly said Saturday night. "We're going to be there. And we're going to work our tails off to get better. It was gut wrenching. It was difficult."

LSU led Ole Miss 49-40 in the fourth quarter Saturday at Ole Miss, but could not hold on and lost 55-49. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

For Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, it was redemption and perhaps his greatest win since becoming the Rebels' coach in 2020. He has beaten higher ranked teams, but LSU has long been a blood rival. And the Tigers were expected to do so much this season.

"We took a lot of criticism, heard a lot of criticism for what happened at Alabama last week and that’s good," Kiffin said. "We heard it. We really responded well in practice. We really responded tonight. Sometimes a loss can help you."

Ole Miss Scored Most Points In School History In SEC Game

Ole Miss scored the most points in its history against a team ranked in the top 25. And the 706 yards were its most in an SEC game.

"I’ll tell you my story line," Kiffin said. "We’re down two scores in the fourth quarter, and it would have been easy to give in. We get two stops, drive the field twice, no fluke plays, 700 plus yards, no turnovers, score (twice) and win this game. So proud."

The Rebels (4-1, 1-1 SEC) moved up from No. 20 to 16 in the poll. They host Arkansas (2-3, 0-2 SEC) on Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network).

The rest of the top 10 had Oregon at No. 8, USC at No. 9 and Notre Dame at No. 10. The Irish moved up one spot after beating No. 17 Duke, 21-14, in the final moments.

Alabama headed the second 10 at No. 11, followed by Oklahoma, Washington State, North Carolina, Oregon State, Ole Miss, Miami, Utah, Duke and Kentucky.

The Wildcats (5-0) made the poll for the first time this season after dismantling previous No. 22 Florida, 33-14. The Gators (3-2) fell out of the poll. With Louisville (5-0) making the poll at No. 25 after a 13-10 win over North Carolina State, the two Kentucky rivals are in the A.P. poll at the same time for the first time since 2007.

The rest of the poll had Tennessee at No. 22 and Fresno State at No. 24.