Joe Burrow, No. 1 LSU Defeat Ole Miss 58-37 to Keep Perfect Season Alive

Joe Burrow and the top-ranked LSU Tigers went into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and rolled to a 58-37 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.

Burrow led the way by throwing for 489 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions.

The Tigers led 28-0 midway through the second quarter, but the Rebels made things interesting in the second half. They closed the gap to 11 in the third quarter, but they could not complete the comeback.

Behind Burrow's big day, the Tigers piled up 714 yards. According to the ESPN broadcast, it marked the first time since 1977 they had surpassed the 700-yard mark in a game.

With the victory, LSU avoided a potential letdown following a 46-41 win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa last week. Beating the Crimson Tide helped the Tigers jump to the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Notable Performances

LSU

QB Joe Burrow: 32-of-42, 489 yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions

RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire: 23 carries, 172 yards, one touchdown

WR Justin Jefferson: nine catches, 112 yards, two touchdowns

WR Ja'Marr Chase: eight catches, 227 yards, three touchdowns

Ole Miss

QB John Rhys Plumlee: 9-of-16, 123 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception; 21 carries, 212 yards, four touchdowns

QB Matt Corral: 6-of-11, 89 yards, one touchdown

RB Jerrion Ealy: 13 carries, 141 yards

WR Elijah Moore: nine catches, 143 yards, one touchdown

Burrow, Tigers Offense Lead the Way

Burrow may have wrapped up the 2019 Heisman Trophy with an unbelievable performance against the Crimson Tide, but just in case, he added to his resume against the Rebels.

It was immediately clear the Tigers would not suffer a post-Alabama letdown. Burrow needed just two minutes to lead the Tigers 75 yards on the opening drive, capping it off with a 34-yard touchdown to Ja'Marr Chase:

LSU again threatened on its second drive, only to miss a 48-yard field-goal attempt. From there, Burrow turned up the pressure.

He went 10-of-10 for 195 yards and two touchdowns on the next three drives, leading LSU into the end zone each time. At one point, he completed a school-record 17 consecutive passes.

He finished the first half with more touchdown passes (three) than incompletions (two).

Burrow threw interceptions on back-to-back second-half drives, allowing Ole Miss to hang around. But at that point, the Rebels had dug themselves too big of a hole.

The second-year Tigers starter needed fewer than seven full games to break the program's single-season passing touchdown record. He continued to rewrite the LSU record books Saturday:

LSU has just one Heisman winner in its history, running back Billy Cannon in 1959. With the way Burrow has played, though, Cannon may soon have company.

While the Georgia Bulldogs secured a spot in the 2019 SEC Championship Game on Saturday, the Tigers will have to wait at least one more week before they can clinch the West division. LSU (6-0 in SEC play) remains just one game ahead of Alabama (6-1 in SEC play) with two conference games to go.

What's Next

LSU (10-0) will return home to Baton Rouge to host Arkansas on Nov. 23. Ole Miss (4-7) will be off until Nov. 28, when it will head to Starkville for the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.