LSU out-duels Ole Miss late, 53-48, on Kayshon Boutte's record-setting day

Max Johnson dropped back in the pouring rain, with LSU trailing by two points in the final minutes, and looked where he had more than a dozen times before.

The Tigers' quarterback found fellow true freshman Kayshon Boutte over the middle for another first down and a whole lot more.

Boutte slipped free of an attempted tackle and found the sideline for 45 yards, a go-ahead score and some history in the 53-48 defeat of Ole Miss (4-5).

"It was a great feeling," he said. "I was hurting before the play. I had twisted my ankle. I had spatted it up a little bit. I was like, 'It's a tough game. I can't quit now. We've gotta push through in order to be victorious.'"

Boutte broke another tackle at the end of the run to shed the defender as he crossed the goal line for his third touchdown of the season finale and an SEC-record 308 yards.

The scamper broke a 19-year-old school record held by former LSU star Josh Reed, with 293 yards in 2001, that seemed destined to live much longer when Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase and Terrace Marshall Jr. all fell just shy before exiting for the NFL.

Boutte also surpassed the 303 yards by former Arkansas standout Cobi Hamilton in 2012.

The Westgate product's 14 catches ties him for second on the Tigers' single-game list behind Reed's performance against Alabama.

And his three scores more than doubled his freshman total after entering the week with two.

"I didn't think I'd have this game this year," he said. "I assumed I'd have it next year. But seeing that Ja'Marr opted out, it made me step up. And then when Terrace opted out, the goal to myself was to be Wide Receiver 1. Throughout the past three weeks, I worked hard in order to be that."

Boutte finished the season with 27 receptions for 527 yards and four touchdowns in those three games since Marshall left the team to begin his NFL Draft preparation.

With still more than a minute remaining, sophomore quarterback Matt Corral led Ole Miss all the way to the Tigers' 27-yard-line in search of a potential answer against a short-handed and tired defense.

But a pair of upperclassmen forced the Rebels' sixth turnover to help preserve the positive ending to a rollercoaster of a season.

Junior defensive end Ali Gaye swatted the ball from Corral's hands, and senior safety JaCoby Stevens quickly snatched the recovery to put a bow on the victory, the season and his own college career.

"I'm lost for words at that moment," Stevens said. "I guess that's a way to end a career at a place. I mean, all I can think about now is all the things that I experienced here for four years. You're never gonna get those moments back, so I guess to go out that way is really special."

Coach Ed Orgeron beamed again about the "fight" and "grit" his team showed the past two weeks since a 55-17 loss to No. 1 Alabama (10-0) had brought questions and criticisms like vultures to a program less than 11 months removed from a national championship.

The Tigers had fallen to 3-5 and into clear danger of becoming the first champion to suffer a losing record the following season.

Instead, LSU navigated the metaphorical and actual fogs to stun No. 6 Florida (8-2) in The Swamp, then survived the high-powered Rebels under first-year coach Lane Kiffin.

The victories pulled the Tigers back to an even 5-5 to conclude the season, with the team having already announced a self-imposed postseason bowl ban.

"You just have to go day-by-day and flow with the punches," Orgeron said. "Obviously I think that throughout the season our team became tougher, our coaching staff became closer and we continued to fight. We went through a lot of adversity.

"There were some games that we didn't play very well, but we came back and we fought and we finished strong. That's what I'm gonna remember about this team."

LSU had built a 37-21 lead early in the third quarter on two interceptions by sophomore cornerback Jay Ward and one each by Gaye, junior safety Todd Harris Jr. and senior linebacker Jabril Cox.

But settling for four Cade York field goals left the door open when Corral stopped giving the ball away and started cashing in touchdowns.

The Rebels roared back to a 48-40 lead in the fourth quarter with four straight scoring drives, while their hosts could manage only a 50-yarder by York amid the run.

"We wished we had touchdowns earlier, but it put us in the right position for later in the game," Johnson said. "And we ended up with touchdowns, and that's what we needed."

The freshman passer capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard keeper for his second rushing touchdown of the day.

Ole Miss was able to defend and break up a potential game-tying two-point conversion.

But, similarly to the week prior, the much-maligned Tigers defense managed just enough timely stops to give their young offense a chance.

A false start penalty and sure tackles by Gaye, freshman defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy and senior defensive lineman Neil Farrell Jr. helped force a quick third-and-12.

And Farrell chased Corral deep into the backfield for a 10-yard sack to further help in the field position battle.

"We kept on playing," Orgeron said. "We knew that they were an explosive offense. We knew they were gonna make plays... We had six turnovers, and that was a deciding part of the game, obviously. But at the end, our guys kept on fighting and they gave it all they had."

LSU started from its own 44 with 2:36 remaining.

Johnson hit Boutte for 7 yards into Ole Miss territory, then handed to freshman running back Kevontre Bradford for a 4-yard run.

And on the third play of the drive, the dynamic duo connected for the record-setting and game-winning highlight.

"We started out this season with a couple losses, but we kept fighting and we stuck together," Johnson said. "It's a brotherhood, and I'll remember these players forever, these guys forever. We fought together. We practiced together. We bled together. So I'm thankful for these guys."

Johnson finished 27-for-51 for 435 yards, three passing touchdowns and one interception and two rushing scores in his second career start.

Freshman wide receiver Koy Moore added a career-best six catches for 63 yards to Boutte's effort.

Bradford rushed nine times for 53 yards, and fellow freshman running back Josh Williams rushed 12 times for 55 yards.

The Tigers out-gained the Rebels, 593 to 558, in total yardage.

"Truly upward," Cox said of the direction of the program. "Most of our production was from younger guys, and you can see it. So we can only get better as a whole program. Just continue to work during the offseason, and if we continue to work, it can only go up from here."

Orgeron has alluded to postseason evaluations of his coaching staff, but declined to discuss the topic Saturday.

"You know what?" he said. "I'm gonna enjoy the victory."

But the coach did reference excitement for the roster, including an optimism that more players — both upperclassmen and younger — will return for 2021 than many outside the program anticipated.

"I'm excited about it, obviously," Orgeron said. "I'm excited about the guys that have stayed with us. I'm excited about the guys that are coming back. I think that we're gonna have a little bit more guys staying that have left before. I'm gonna talk to a lot of guys that have an opportunity with an extra year to come back — especially on the offensive line. Hopefully I can get most of those guys back. We'll see."