College Football Old School Game of the Week: Ole Miss Defeats LSU Thanks to Tigers' Poor Clock Management

Ole Miss players hold the Magnolia Bowl trophy after their 2009 win over LSU.

 In 1972, the Ole Miss Rebels were defeated by the LSU Tigers 17-16 in a controversial finish where the Tigers got some home cooking as the potential last play which resulted in an incompletion seemed to take longer the four seconds that remained on the clock as LSU was given one last chance to win the game which they did when quarterback Bert Jones threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy LeDoux that with the extra point gave the Bayou Bengals the win.

Ole Miss fans were so incensed that someone decided to put a road sign at the Louisiana-Mississippi border that said "You are now entering Louisiana. Please set your clock back four seconds".'

Thirty seven years later, the Rebels would get a matter of revenge as the time would go against LSU as the two teams prepared to face off for the 98th time.

Ole Miss came into the game with a 7-3 record but unranked as the Rebels had been seen as a disappointment for the 2009 season as they began the season ranked #8 in the AP poll and #10 coaches poll.

A part of the reason for the disappointment was quarterback Jeven Snead, who had thrown 14 interceptions in the Rebels' first 10 games as the Rebels had seeked to improve from their 2008 season in which they went 9-4 and finished in the top 15 in both polls after their 47-34 upset win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Cotton Bowl.

Perhaps the bigger highlight of the 2008 season is when the Rebels traveled to Baton Rouge and easily dispatched the Tigers 31-13 for Ole Miss' first victory over LSU since 2002 when Eli Manning was the quarterback.

Led by head coach Houston Nutt and running back Dexter McCluster, the Rebels to knock off the Tigers in Oxford for the first time since 1998.

Meanwhile, LSU came into the game ranked #10 in the AP poll with an 8-2 record under head coach Les Miles, who was almost two years removed from leading LSU to the national championship as a win over the Rebels would boost the Tigers' chances to play in one of the BCS bowls(Rose, Sugar, Cotton, Orange)

Ole Miss would get the ball to start the game as the first play of the game was a backwards pass that went off the hands of McCluster and out of bounds, costing the Rebels eight yards to set up 2nd & 18 when McCluster took a handoff from Snead and ran 67 yards before being tackled at the LSU 31-yard-line.

The drive would stall as the Rebels picked up four yards on the next three plays as they would settle for a 45-yard field goal by Joshua Shene to give Ole Miss an early 3-0 lead.

The Tigers' first possession of the game would end in disaster as quarterback Jordan Jefferson would be intercepted by Rebels cornerback Cassius Vaughn, who would return the pick to the LSU nine-yard-line only to have an illegal block and an unsportsmanlike penalty on Vaughn push Ole Miss back to the Tigers' 34-yard-line.

The Rebels would settle for another field goal attempt, but this one was blocked by LSU defensive tackle Al Woods leading to cornerback Patrick Peterson scooping up the ball and running it back for a 53-yard touchdown to give LSU a 7-3 lead.

Ole Miss would begin its ensuing possession at their 30-yard-line as three straight running plays gained a total of 13 yards before Snead connected with wide receiver Markeith Summers for a 42-yard completion to give the Rebels a 1st down at the LSU 15-yard-line.

But once again the Rebels would settle for another field goal attempt which this time was successful as Shene would kick it through the uprights for a 25-yard field goal to cut the LSU lead to 7-6 with 3:37 left in the first quarter.

 The Tigers would get great field position to start their next drive as Ron Brooks returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to his 47-yard-line as LSU would drive 53 yards in eight plays with the drive culminating with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jefferson to Reuben Randle to increase LSU's lead to 14-6 with 11 seconds to go in the opening period.

The Rebels would lean on their running game for their next possession as McCluster and Brandon Bolden combined for eight carries for a total of 27 yards on a 12-play, 45-yard drive that ended with another Shene field goal, this one from 33 yards out to cut the Tigers' lead to 14-9 midway through the second quarter.

Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster would run for 148 yards on 24 carries and throw a 27-yard touchdown pass.

LSU would get the ball back at its 21-yard-line as a 13-yard run by Keiland Willams and a 31-yard pass from Jefferson to Terrance Tolliver put the Tigers back in Ole Miss territory at the Rebels' 35-yard-line.

However, the Tigers would pick up just three yards on the next three plays as they would settle for a 50-yard field goal by Josh Jasper which increased LSU's lead to 17-9 with 6:23 remaining in the second quarter.

Miles would try to catch the Rebels off-guard on the ensuing kickoff with a surprise onside kick but ended up backfiring on the Tigers as Peterson would recover the kick out of bounds resulting in a penalty and giving Ole Miss the ball at the LSU 47-yard-line.

Snead would then complete passes of 13 and 26 yards to Shay Hodge to put Ole Miss at the LSU eight-yard-line with a 1st & goal as a one-yard run by Bolden followed by a four-yard run by Snead set up 3rd & goal when Snead handed the ball to wide receiver Jesse Grandy for the three-yard touchdown.

The Rebels would go for two to try and tie the game but Snead's pass would fall incomplete to keep the score at 17-15 in favor of LSU with 4:40 left before halftime.

The Tigers seemed poised to increase their lead as they were able to drive to the Ole Miss 39-yard-line until Rebels defensive end Emmanuel Stephens sacked Jefferson on a 3rd & 6 to stall the drive and force LSU to punt the ball back to Ole Miss, who would run out the clock in the first half as the Rebels trailed 17-15.

The third quarter would be a defensive battle as both teams traded punts until early in the fourth quarter when the Rebels would take over at the LSU 44-yard-line as a 11-yard pass from Snead to Hodge and a six-yard run by McCluster would put Ole Miss at the Tigers' 27-yard-line.

That is when Snead handed the ball off to McCluster, who ran to his right side and fired a pass for Hodge who would make the catch for the 27-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave the Rebels a 22-17 lead with 13:33 to go in the fourth quarter.

After another LSU three-and-out, the Rebels got the ball back at their 35-yard-line as Ole Miss would hold the ball for eight and a half minutes as they drove 60 yards in 14 plays until Shene would kick a 23-yard field goal to increase the Rebels' lead to 25-17 with 3:42 left in the fourth quarter.

Following a 33-yard return by Trenton Holliday on the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers took over at their 34-yard-line needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game and send in into overtime.

Jefferson would complete four of eight passes for 56 yards on the 10-play, 66-yard drive which was capped off with a 25-yard touchdown pass from the sophomore quarterback to Randle to bring LSU to within a two-point conversion of tying the game.

Jefferson would loft a pass for Tolliver in the left corner of the end zone which fell incomplete but drew a pass interference penalty on Vaughn to give LSU an extra chance at the two-point conversion where the Tigers tried the exact same play where Tolliver was unable to make the catch to keep the score at 25-23 in favor of Ole Miss with 1:17 to go in the game.

With two timeouts in their pocket and such little time, LSU lined up for an onside kick, where unlike earlier in the game, was successful as LaFell recovered the ball to give the Tigers a chance to drive and set up a potential game-winning field goal.

Taking over at his 42-yard-line, Jefferson would throw an incomplete pass on 1st down before connecting with LaFell for 26 yards to give LSU a 1st down at the Ole Miss 32-yard-line.

The Tigers were at the spot where Jasper had made a 50-yard field goal earlier in the game so it seemed logical that LSU would run the ball to get a few yards closer and make the kick easier.

However, on 1st down, Jefferson would throw an incomplete pass which was followed by a disastrous play on 2nd down as Stephens would drop the quarterback for a nine-yard-loss, knocking LSU out of field goal range and forcing them to call timeout with 32 seconds left.

Facing a 3rd & 19 at the Rebels' 41-yard-line, the Tigers tried to get back into field goal range but while Ridley would catch a screen pass from Jefferson, he would be tackled for a seven-yard-loss to push LSU back to the Ole Miss 48-yard-line where they would face a do-or-die 4th & 26.

Inexplicably, Miles would let 17 seconds run off the clock before calling his last timeout with nine seconds to go as the Tigers would have no choice but have Jefferson throw a Hail Mary pass.

Amazingly, the play worked as Jefferson's pass would be caught by Tolliver for a 43-yard completion to put the Tigers at the Ole Miss five-yard-line easily in field goal range with one second left.

But instead of sending in the field goal unit, Miles had Jefferson line up behind center to spike the ball at hopes of stopping the clock before it hit zero even though it takes two seconds for such a play to be excuted properly.

But Jefferson could not spike the ball in time as the Rebels escaped with the 25-23 win for their first win over LSU in front of their home fans since 1998.

LSU would rebound for the embarrassing defeat to knock off the Arkansas Razorbacks 33-30 in their regular season finale to earn a trip to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando where they would fall to the Penn State Nittany Lions 19-17 to finish the season with a 9-4 record and #17 ranking in both the final AP and coaches poll.

As for Ole Miss, they would lose to arch rival Mississippi State 41-27 in the annual "Egg Bowl" as the Rebels would be invited to play in the Cotton Bowl for the second year in a row, this time facing off with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, whom the Rebels defeated 21-7 to finish the season with a 9-4 record and #20 ranking in the final AP poll and #21 ranking in the final coaches poll.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Miracle on Markham Gives Arkansas SEC West Title

Decori Birmingham comes down with the game-winning touchdown pass that would become known as the "Miracle on Markham".

 If you visit Little Rock, Arkansas you may find yourself on Markham Street, a street that runs east-to-west just a little south of the Arkansas River.

Adjacent to Markham Street is War Memorial Stadium, a 50,000 plus seat football stadium where the Arkansas Razorbacks play at least one game per season.

That is where on November 29, 2002 a miracle occurred when the Razorbacks played host to the #18 LSU Tigers where the winner of the game would clinch the SEC Western division title and a spot in the SEC Championship Game.

Arkansas came into the game on a five-game winning streak after a 3-3 start to the season as the Hogs' vaunted running game which featured tailback Fred Talley and quarterback Matt Jones had put head coach Houston Nutt's team in position to win the school's second ever SEC West division title.

Standing in the Hogs' way were the LSU Tigers who were the defending SEC champions and were hoping to return to play in the SEC Championship Game for the second straight year under head coach Nick Saban.

Destiny seemed to be on the Tigers' side especially after their 33-30 win over Kentucky three weeks earlier on quarterback Marcus Randall's 75-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson as time expired which would be nicknamed the "Bluegrass Miracle".

A trip to Arkansas to take on the Hogs was the last obstacle for the Tigers' path to a second straight SEC championship while the Hogs were looking to complete a remarkable turnaround after their sluggish start to the season.

Arkansas would begin the game on offense with the ball at their 20-yard-line as Jones threw an incomplete pass on the first play from scrimmage, which was followed by eight consecutive running plays that picked up 33 yards on a drive that took over five minutes off the clock but ended with the Hogs punting the ball back to the Tigers.

Starting at their 15-yard-line, the Tigers would only move 18 yards in seven plays until they were faced with a 3rd & 15 when Randall completed a short screen pass to Skyler Green, who then outran the Arkansas defense for a 67-yard touchdown to give LSU a 7-0 lead with 6:44 left in the first quarter.

As the game moved into the second quarter, the Hogs got the ball at their 25-yard-line as Jones would hit Richard Smith for 11 yards to start the Arkansas drive as three straight running plays would gain nine yards to set up a 4th & 1 situation at the Arkansas 45-yard-line.

Nutt gambled and went for the 1st down which he got as Jones snuck for the 1st down as he picked up two yards to give the Hogs a fresh set of downs at their 47-yard-line.

Following another incomplete pass, the Hogs would keep it on the ground as they ran the ball nine straight times for 44 yards to give Arkansas a 1st & goal at the LSU nine-yard-line.

Two more running plays which went nowhere would set up 3rd & goal when Jones put the ball back in the air as he tried to hit Smith in the back of the end zone only to have LSU cornerback Corey Webster make the interception to end the 17-play, 66-yard drive by the Hogs which resulted in zero points.

After both teams went three-and-out on their ensuing possessions, the Tigers got the ball back at their 10-yard-line with 3:18 left before halftime and all three timeouts remaining.

LSU would drive 58 yards in 10 plays to set up John Corbello's 49-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to extend the Tigers' lead to 10-0.

Matt Jones would complete four passes in the game but his last completion would be the "Miralce on Markham."

The Tigers would start the second half on offense but would go three-and-out to give the ball back to Arkansas who took over at its 39-yard-line as back-to-back LSU penalties would give the Hogs a 1st down when Talley ran for just one yard to set up 2nd & 9 at the 50-yard-line.

That is when Jones completed a 35-yard pass to George Wilson to give Arkansas a 1st down at the LSU 15-yard-line as the Hogs went back to the ground game as De'Arrius Howard would carry the ball five straight times for 14 yards to set up 4th & goal from the one-yard-line.

Once again, Nutt would go for it on 4th down and was rewarded with an one-yard touchdown run by Mark Pierce that cut LSU's lead to 10-7 midway through the third quarter.

The Tigers would respond with a seven-play, 89-yard drive which featured a 48-yard pass from Randall to Clayton that would eventually led to a five-yard touchdown run by Randall to put the LSU lead back into double digits at 17-7 with 5:34 left in the third quarter.

The Tigers would hold the Hogs to a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 32-yard-line as LSU would drive into Arkansas territory until LaBrandon Toefield fumbled the football after he was hit by Arkansas defensive end Jeb Huckeba leading to a recovery by Raymond House at the Arkansas 46-yard-line.

However, the Hogs would go three-and-out again as the game turned into a defensive stalemate as both teams traded punts until midway through the fourth quarter when the Hogs got the ball at their 20-yard-line and drove to their 44-yard-line when they were faced with a 2nd & 19.

That is when Talley took a handoff from Jones and busted through the middle for a 56-yard touchdown to bring Arkansas to within a field goal at 17-14 with 6:33 left in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers would begin their ensuing possession at their 35-yard-line as they would drive 53 yards in 12 plays as LSU would convert on three straight 3rd down situations.

The first would be a seven-yard run by Toefield on 3rd & 1 from the LSU 44-yard-line, followed by a nine-yard pass from Randall to Clayton on 3rd & 2 from the Arkansas 41-yard-line, and then a nine-yard run by Randall on 3rd & 4 from the Arkansas 26-yard-line.

The Tigers would not make it 4-for-4 on 3rd down conversions as Toefield gained only one yard on 3rd & 6 at the Arkansas 13-yard-line but they would kick a 29-yard field goal which increased their lead to 20-14 with just 40 seconds to go in the game.

It seemed hopeless for Arkansas as it would begin its ensuing possession at its 19-yard-line needing to drive 81 yards in 34 seconds for a possible go-ahead touchdown, especially with a dormant passing game as Jones had completed only two passes up to this point.

However, hope was renewed when Jones went deep and hit Smith for a 50-yard completion to give Arkansas a 1st down at the LSU 31-yard-line as the Hogs ran up to spike the ball to stop the clock with 17 seconds left and facing a 2nd & 10.

That is when the miracle happened as Jones fired a pass toward the right corner of the end zone that was caught by Decori Birmingham who made the catch for a stunning 31-yard touchdown that tied the game at 20 with nine seconds to go.

But because the Hogs would be called for excessive celebration following the touchdown which resulted in a 15-yard penalty meaning that they would have to kick a 35-yard extra point.

David Carlton would come on to make the extra point to give Arkansas its first lead of the game at 21-20.

The Tigers would get one last chance to pull off another "Bluegrass Miracle" but Randall would be sacked before he could get a pass away as time ran out with the Hogs on top 21-20 and the SEC Western division championship.

The loss would drop the Tigers out of the top 25 as they would be invited to play Texas in the Cotton Bowl as the Longhorns would defeat LSU 35-20 as the Tigers would finish the season with a 8-5 record.

As for Arkansas, the "Miracle on Markham" would be the last win of the season for the Hogs as they fall to the  Georgia Bulldogs 30-3 in the SEC Championship Game, then lost to the Minnesota Golden Gophers 29-14 in the Music City Bowl to finish the season with a 9-5 record.

Six years after the "Miracle on Markham", the Hogs would once again play host to LSU at War Memorial Stadium in the final game of the regular season.

In that game, the Hogs would overcome a 16-point deficit to defeat the Tigers 31-30 when quarterback Casey Dick completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to London Crawford with 24 seconds to go in approximately the same spot where Birmingham caught his game-winning touchdown.

This lead to Arkansas fans to dub their 2008 win over LSU as the "Miracle on Markham 2".

College Football Old School Game of the Week: McFadden Leads Arkansas to 3OT Upset Win over #1 LSU

 

Arkansas running back Darren McFadden carried the ball 32 times for 206 yards and run for three TDs while completed three of six passes for 34 yards and threw a TD in Arkansas' upset win over LSU.

When it comes to the greatest running backs in Arkansas Razorbacks football history, it's hard to argue against anyone other than Darren McFadden as the greatest in school history.

In his three years with the Hogs, McFadden rushed for over 1,000 yards in each season to become only the second player in SEC history to do that with the other being Georgia Bulldogs running back Herschel Walker, who McFadden currently runs behind in second place on the all time rushing yards list in SEC with his 4,590 career yards.

McFadden's finest performance as a Arkansas Razorback came in the Hogs' 2007 regular season finale against the #1 LSU Tigers in a  triple overtime classic in "Death Valley".

 Arkansas came into the game with a 7-4 record and unranked in what many observers believed to be a disappointing season for the Hogs as they returned McFadden, plus fellow 1,000 rusher Felix Jones, and fullback Peyton Hillis for the 2007 season following a 10-win season and SEC West division title in 2006.

But after a number of controversies that including the departure of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn as well as several high-ranked recruits, head coach Houston Nutt was on the hot seat when it came to his job security despite a nearly successful 10-year run in Fayetteville.

It seemed likely that Nutt's final game was going to be the Hogs' annual battle with the LSU Tigers over the "Golden Boot" trophy given to the winner of the LSU-Arkansas game.

The Tigers came into the Arkansas game ranked #1 in the AP and coaches polls but most importantly in the BCS rankings as the Tigers came into their game with Arkansas with a 10-1 record with their only loss being a 45-37 triple overtime loss to Kentucky six weeks earlier(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/college-football-old-school-game-of.html).

The Tigers had climbed back to the #1 ranking under the direction of head coach Les Miles and an offense with fifth-year senior Matt Flynn at quarterback and the bruising Jacob Hester at running back.

The Tigers had already wrapped up the SEC West division title and were set to play in the SEC Championship Game the following week in Atlanta, but had no margin for error because of their loss to Kentucky, meaning their game against the Hogs was still very important if the Tigers were going to play for a national championship at the end of the season..

The Hogs were set to get the ball to start the game as McFadden received the opening kickoff and returned it 17 yards until he was hit by LSU linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, causing a fumble that was recovered by running back Charles Scott to give the Tigers the football at the Arkansas 25-yard-line.

The Tigers would pick up one 1st down before settling for a 32-yard field goal by Colt David to give LSU a 3-0 lead just 1:41 into the game.

Lightning almost struck twice for the Tigers as McFadden received the ensuing kickoff and again fumbled the football after a hit by Hester, only this time McFadden was able to recover his fumble to give Arkansas the ball at its 29-yard-line.

The Hogs would go three-and-out to give the ball back to LSU, who took over at its 27-yard-line as Hester carried the ball on the first three plays of the drive, gaining a total of 18 yards, which was followed by an eight-yard pass from Flynn to tight end Richard Dickson to put the Tigers at the Arkansas 45-yard-line.

The Tigers would drive to the Arkansas 32-yard-line until they called on David again to attempt a 49-yard field goal which he made to increase the LSU lead to 6-0 midway through the first quarter.

LSU running back Jacob Hester ran for 126 yards on 28 carries and scored two touchdowns.

Both teams would trade punts until the second quarter when the Hogs got the ball at their three-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the first half.

McFadden ran for 12 yards to begin the drive which was followed by a pass interference penalty on LSU cornerback Chevis Jackson giving the Hogs a 1st down at their 30-yard-line.

After the next two plays picked up six yards, the Hogs lined up in the "Wild Hog" formation, which was Arkansas' version of the "Wildcat" formation as McFadden lined up at quarterback and handed the ball off to Jones, who broke loose for a 31-yard run to give Arkansas a 1st down at the LSU 33-yard-line.

Following another 1st down, Arkansas went back to the "Wild Hog" as McFadden completed a five-yard pass to Jones on 1st & 10, then kept the ball on 2nd down and ran it in for a 16-yard touchdown to give the Hogs a 7-6 lead with 7:33 left in the second quarter as the Hogs had driven 97 yards in nine plays.

Those would be the last points of the first half as both teams would trade punts until the end of the half with Arkansas on top 7-6 as the two teams went into the locker room for the halftime break.

The Tigers would get the ball to start the second half as they drove from their 38-yard-line to the Arkansas 40-yard-line until they punted the ball back to the Hogs, who took over at their 20-yard-line following a touchback on the punt.

The Hogs picked up one 1st down before facing a 2nd & 14 at their 27-yard-line when lined up in the "Wild Hog" again, McFadden took the direct snap, ran toward his left and outraced the LSU defense for a 73-yard touchdown which increased Arkansas' lead to 14-6 with 9:49 left in the third quarter.

The Tigers needed a spark and would get it on the ensuing kickoff as Chad Jones' 33-yard-return gave LSU the ball at its 49-yard-line to begin its next drive.

Flynn would come out firing as he completed back-to-back passes to Demetrius Byrd for 19 yards, then hit Dickson for eight more yards to give LSU a 1st down at the Arkansas 24-yard-line.

Hester would get the call on the next play running for nine yards before being stopped for no gain to set up 3rd & 1 when Flynn kept it himself to run for three yards and a 1st down at the Arkansas 12-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass, Flynn handed the ball off to Hester, who broke through three Arkansas tacklers to punch it in for the 12-yard touchdown to bring the Tigers to within two points at 14-12 as Miles decided to go for two.

Flynn would run it in for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14 with 7:48 left in the third quarter.

Arkansas would get the ball back at its 17-yard-line and drive to their 35-yard-line when the "Wild Hog" struck again as McFadden handed the ball off to Hillis, who busted through the middle for a 65-yard touchdown to give Arkansas a 21-14 lead with 5:46 left in the third quarter.

Arkansas fullback Peyton Hillis had 11 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns plus caught five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns.

Back came the Tigers as they would drive 75 yards in 10 plays with the drive culminating in a seven-yard touchdown pass from Flynn to Byrd to tie the game at 21 with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter when the Tigers had the ball at their 46-yard-line when Flynn connected with Hester on a 54-yard touchdown pass, only to have called back because of an ineligible receiver downfield.

The Tigers would eventually punt giving the Hogs the ball at their 28-yard-line as  Arkansas came out in the "Wild Hog" formation to start the drive with McFadden running for seven yards, then throwing an incomplete pass to force a 3rd & 3 where McFadden handed the ball off to Jones who exploded for a 30-yard run to give the Hogs a 1st down at the LSU 35-yard-line.

Then after two runs by McFadden picked up 11 yards, McFadden lined up at quarterback and fired a pass a 24-yard touchdown pass to Hillis to give Arkansas a 28-21 lead with 5:06 remaining in regulation.

The Tigers got the ball back at their 21-yard-line needing a touchdown in hopes of sending the game into overtime or tying to give them a chance to win before the end of regulation.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Hester carried the ball on the next two plays picking up 16 yards for a LSU 1st down at its 37-yard-line.

A six-yard pass to Dickson followed by a three-yard run by Hester set up 3rd & 1 when Flynn threw an incomplete pass to force 4th & 1 with the Tigers at their 46-yard-line.

Miles decided to go for it and was awarded with a 1st down as Keiland Williams ran for two yards to give LSU a 1st down at its 48-yard-line as Flynn would connect with Early Doucet for nine yards to put LSU in Arkansas territory at the Hogs' 43-yard-line.

On the next play, Flynn connected with Dickson for 35 yards to give LSU 1st & goal at the Arkansas eight-yard-line with less than two minutes to go.

An incomplete pass on 1st down, followed by a two-yard run by Flynn, then a four-yard run by Hester set up a do-or-die 4th down at the Arkansas two-yard-line.

That is when Flynn found Byrd in the middle of the end zone for a two-yard touchdown that along with David's extra point tied the game at 28-28 with 57 seconds to go in regulation.

That was still enough time for the Hogs to drive down the field and get the game-winning score, especially after Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards to the Arkansas 48-yard-line.

However, the Tigers would force the Hogs to turn it over on downs as Dick's 4th down pass intended for Lucas Miller fell incomplete to give LSU a chance at a "Hail Mary" pass with three seconds to go.

Flynn's pass would fall incomplete to send the game into overtime with the game tied at 28.

LSU got the ball first in the overtime period as Williams ran for 13 yards on 1st down, then following an incomplete pass, Flynn ran it in for a 12-yard touchdown to give LSU a 35-28 lead as the Hogs were set to get the ball for their overtime possession.

LSU quarterback Matt Flynn completed 22 of 47 passes for 209 yards and threw three TDs while running the ball nine times for 27 yards and one TD.

McFadden completed a five-yard pass to Jones to start the overtime possession then was stopped for no gain on 2nd down to set up 3rd & 5 when Dick went back in at quarterback.

An illegal procedure penalty and an incomplete pass forced a 4th & 10 at the LSU 25-yard-line when Dick completed a 13-yard pass to Hillis to give Arkansas a 1st down at the LSU 12-yard-line.

Then on 3rd & 8 from the 10-yard-line, Dick connected with Hillis again, this time for a 12-yard touchdown that with the extra point made it a 35-35 game and send the game into a second overtime.

The Hogs had the ball first in the second overtime period as Jones began the drive with a 16-yard run, which was followed by a nine-yard touchdown run by McFadden to give Arkansas a 42-35 lead.

LSU's possession began with a four-yard run by Williams, followed by a 12-yard pass from Flynn to Dickson to give the Tigers a 1st down at the Arkansas' nine-yard-line when Hester carried the ball for seven yards on 1st & goal, then ran it in for a two-yard touchdown to send the game to a third overtime with the scored tied at 42.

A six-yard run by Jones, followed by an one-yard run by Hillis, then a three-yard run by Jones gave the Hogs a 1st down at the 15-yard-line when Arkansas went back to the "Wild Hog" formation as McFadden handed the ball off to Hillis, who ran for only two yards on 1st down.

McFadden would then run for 10 yards on 2nd down to set up 1st & goal at the three-yard-line when McFadden handed the ball off to Hillis, who busted though for a three-yard touchdown.

Now that the game had entered a third overtime period, the Hogs had to go for two following the touchdown, which they got as Jones ran it into the end zone to give Arkansas a 50-42 lead.

The Tigers' triple overtime possession began with a 12-yard pass from Flynn to Doucet, followed by a four-yard run by Hester to set up 2nd & 6 when Flynn hit Brandon LaFell for the nine-yard touchdown to bring LSU to within two at 50-48.

Now needing to make the two-point conversion to send the game to a fourth overtime, Flynn dropped back and fired a pass intended for Byrd at the back of the end zone, only to have Arkansas cornerback Matterral Richardson step in front of Byrd to make the interception to end the game and give the Hogs a 50-48 victory.

The loss seemingly ended the Tigers' national championship hopes as they fell to 10-2 and drop from #1 to #7 in the following week's BCS rankings.

But following a 21-14 win over Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game, plus losses by Missouri and West Virginia the following week, the Tigers jumped all the way to #2 in the final BCS rankings, earning them a trip to the BCS Championship Game where they faced the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes as LSU would knock off the Buckeyes 38-24 to claim the Tigers' second national title in five years.

Despite the win over #1 LSU, Nutt decided to resign as Arkansas head coach three days later, where he was replaced by defensive coordinator Reggie Herring who coached the Hogs in their bowl game, a 38-7 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, dropping Arkansas to a 8-5 record to finish the season.

Nutt would sign with the Ole Miss Rebels to became their head coach where he lead the Rebels to back-to-back Cotton Bowl wins in his first two seasons until two straight losing seasons led to his firing following the 2011 season.

As for McFadden, who would finish 2nd in the Heisman Trophy race behind eventual winner Tim Tebow as McFadden finished the 2007 season with 1,830 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.

McFadden would be chosen as the #4 overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in the 2008 NFL Draft as he would rush for 4,247 yards and 25 touchdowns in seven seasons, then signed with the Dallas Cowboys before the 2015 season in which he ran for 1,089 yards and scored three touchdowns that year.

Two years later, McFadden would retire from the NFL after a 10-year career and then would be enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

The Hogs celebrate with the Golden Boot Trophy following their upset win over #1 LSU.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Arkansas Outlast Ole Miss in Seven Overtime Epic

In 1996, FBS college football decided to institute overtime in order to eliminate ties.
The rules allowed for each team to get the ball at their opponents' 25-yard-line, forcing both teams to play both offense and defense in order to win the game.
The game would go on as long as possible until after an overtime period where the game was not tied anymore.
While overtime eliminated the pesky ties, it did allow for marathon games where the game could go on for multiple overtimes before a winner was decided.
That's exactly what happened on November 3, 2001 when the Arkansas Razorbacks traveled to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in the first of five games to go to seven overtime periods in college football history.
Ole Miss entered the game on a five-game winning streak which included a 35-24 win at LSU the previous week to give the Rebels a 6-1 record and a chance to win the SEC West Division title, which would earn the Rebels their first trip to the SEC Championship Game.
The Rebels were coached by David Cutcliffe, who was in his third season at the helm at Ole Miss, and were led by sophomore quarterback Eli Manning, younger brother of Peyton, who Cutcliffe had coached at the University of Tennessee, and son of Archie, who was an legend at Ole Miss setting numerous record during his career from 1968-70.
The Rebels' opponents, the Arkansas Razorbacks entered the game with a 4-3 record after going 0-3 in the month of September.
The Razorbacks were coached by Houston Nutt, who was in his fourth year as head coach of the Hogs, which relied on a potent running game which junior running back Fred Talley and redshirt sophomore Cedric Cobbs.
The game was set up as an interesting contrast of styles with the Arkansas running attack going up against the Ole Miss passing offense.
Little did anyone know they would participate in one of the longest games in college football history.
After the Razorbacks punted on their opening possession, the Rebels took over at their 20-yard-line and proceeded to drive 80 yards in 11 plays, culminating with a one-yard touchdown run by Joe Gunn to give Ole Miss a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Gunn's touchdown would be the only score of the first quarter as the Rebels took their 7-0 lead into the second quarter when the Hogs mounted their first scoring threat of the game when they drove from their 40-yard-line to the Ole Miss 28-yard-line after six straight running plays picked up 32 yards.
But on the seventh play of the drive, the Hogs decided to go to the air as quarterback Zak Clark dropped back to pass, only to be intercepted by Ole Miss linebacker Kevin Thomas to end the Arkansas drive and preserve the Rebels' 7-0 lead.
Following an exchange of punts, the Hogs would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line with 4:25 left in the first half.
The Hogs stuck to the ground as they Talley ran the ball five straight times for 21 yards, before Cobbs got a carry as he picked up 10 yards on a 3rd & 1, putting Arkansas in Ole Miss territory with a 1st down at the Rebels' 49-yard-line.
But two plays later, the Hogs were faced with a 3rd & 14 at their 47-yard-line when they called timeout with 1:07 left before halftime.
That is when the Hogs decided to go to the air as Clark completed four straight passes, three of them to George Wilson, gaining 51 yards to set up Cobbs' two-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 7 with just 20 seconds left in the half.

Fred Talley(20) breaks through Ole Miss tacklers as he would run for 113 yards on 23 carries.

Ole Miss got the ball to start the second half and were at the Arkansas' 14-yard-line in just three plays as Manning connected with tight end John Ziegler for a 56-yard pass play, then hit Ziegler again for 11 yards to set up 1st & goal from the three-yard-line.
But the Razorback defense stiffened and forced the Rebels to attempt a 20-yard field goal, only to have Jonathan Nichols' kick sail wide right keeping the game tied 7-7 with 12:43 left in the third quarter.
The Hogs took over at their 20-yard-line after the missed field goal and drove 44 yards on ten straight running plays until Clark connected with Wilson for six yards on a 3rd & 4 to give Arkansas a 1st down at the Ole Miss 30-yard-line.
However on the very next play, Talley fumbled the football after a hit by Thomas, which was recovered by Rebels linebacker Eddie Strong, ending the drive and giving Ole Miss the ball back at their 29-yard-line.
The Rebels would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, forcing a punt which was shanked by Cody Ridgeway, going only 16 yards and giving Arkansas the ball at the Ole Miss 42-yard-line.
The Hogs could only drive 14 yards to the Rebels' 28-yard-line but it was still good enough for Brennan O' Donohue to kick a 45-yard field goal to give Arkansas a 10-7 lead with 5:32 left in the third quarter.
Jason Armstead would return the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Arkansas 40-yard-line, which would lead to a 32-yard field goal by Nichols to tie the game at 10 with 2:05 left in the third quarter.
Following the Ole Miss field goal, the Hogs would get the ball back at their 15-yard-line where on the first play of the drive, Clark would connect with Wilson for 10 yards and a 1st down at the 25-yard-line.
That would be the only pass of the drive as the Hogs would run the ball 13 straight times, with Mark Pierce getting the bulk of the work on the drive as he carried the ball six times for 32 yards, including a two-yard touchdown run to put Arkansas back on top, 17-10 with 10:18 left in the fourth quarter.
The Rebels would begin their next possession at their 28-yard-line as Manning would complete six of eight passes for 48 yards on a 13-play drive which ended with a three-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Armstead that with Nichols' extra point tied the game at 17 with 4:50 left in regulation.
Arkansas got the ball at their 17-yard-line with a chance to drive for the winning score but the drive stalled at the Ole Miss 46-yard-line forcing the Hogs to punt the ball back to Ole Miss, who took over at its seven-yard-line with 1:47 to go in regulation.
Even though his team had two timeouts left, Cutcliffe decided to play it conservatively and just run the ball three straight times to run out the clock and send the game into overtime with the game tied 17-17.
The Rebels won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense, so they know whether they needed a field goal or touchdown when they got the ball.
With the ball at the Ole Miss 25-yard-line, the Hogs ran the ball three straight times picking up nine yards, setting up 4th & 1 at the 16-yard-line and presumably a field goal attempt.
But Nutt gambled and decided to go for the 1st down which he got and more as Cobbs busted through for a 16-yard touchdown run to give Arkansas a 24-17 lead.
The Rebels would get their chance to tie the game, but would be faced with a do-or-die 4th & 6 at the Arkansas 11-yard-line.
That is when Manning found Armstead for a 11-yard touchdown that along with Nichols' extra point tied the game at 24 and send the game into a second overtime.
The Rebels would begin the second overtime on offense and seemed to poise for another touchdown as they had 3rd & goal at the three-yard-line.
However, Manning would fumble a shotgun snap, which was recovered by Arkansas defensive lineman Curt Davis at the ten-yard-line, giving the Hogs a chance to win the game with a field goal.
Cobbs would run the ball three straight times, picking up seven yards, to set up a potential game-winning 35-yard field goal by O' Donohoe.
But O'Donohoe's kick sailed wide right, keeping the game tied 24-24 as the game went into a third overtime.

Eli Manning would throw for six touchdown passes, with five of those coming in the seven overtime periods.

It would take the Hogs one play to get into the end zone as Jones ran it in for a 25-yard touchdown to give Arkansas a 30-24 lead.
As the game had now entered the third overtime period, teams were now required to go for two after every touchdown.
Jones handed the ball to Decori Birmingham who was stopped short of the end zone, keeping it 30-24 in favor of the Hogs as the Rebels would prepared for their offensive possession in the third overtime.
That is when Ole Miss did their best Arkansas impression as they ran the ball five straight times, ending with an one-yard touchdown run by Gunn to tie the game at 30 and give the Rebels a chance to win the game with their two-point conversion attempt.
But Manning's two-point pass fell incomplete and the game would go into a 4th overtime period tied 30-30.
After hitting running back Charles Stackhouse for four yards, Manning would find Bill Flowers for a 21-yard touchdown to put Ole Miss back on top 36-30.
However, the two-point conversion would fail as Manning's two-point conversion pass would sail over the head of wide receiver Jamie Armstrong, opening the door for Arkansas to win the game if they could score a touchdown and convert on a two-point conversion.
After Jones, who at this point had taken over for Clark at quarterback, only ran for one yard on 1st down, hit Wilson for a 24-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 36.
Once again, Jones handed the ball off to Birmingham, who once again was tackled short of the end zone, sending the game into a fifth overtime period and making this game the first game in college football history to go at least five overtimes.
The Hogs would start the fifth overtime on offense where it took them four plays to get into the end zone as Jones would run it from eight yards out to give Arkansas a 42-36 lead as his two-point pass intended for Pierce fell incomplete.
When Ole Miss got the ball for their possession in the fifth overtime, they started off by running the ball as Gunn carried the ball three straight times for 13 yards, before Manning found tight end Doug Ziegler for a 12-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 42.
But for the third straight time, Manning would throw an incomplete pass on the Rebels' two-point conversion attempt, forcing a sixth overtime period as both teams had now scored more points in the five overtime periods then they did during sixty minutes of regulation.
It would take only two plays for the Rebels to get back into the end zone as Manning connected with Stackhouse for 10 yards, then found Ziegler for a 15-yard touchdown to give Ole Miss a 48-42 lead before the two-point conversion attempt.
This time, Ole Miss would make the two-point conversion as Stackhouse would run it in for the two-point conversion to increase the Rebels' lead to 50-42 as Arkansas prepared for their possession in the sixth overtime period.
Jones would hit tight end Nathan Bell for 23 yards to set up a two-yard touchdown run by Pierce to cut the Rebels' lead to 50-48 as the Hogs prepared for the two-point conversion they needed to make in order to force a seventh overtime period.
That is when Jones connected with Jason Peters, a defensive end who lined up at tight end, for the game-tying two-point conversion to tie the game at 50 and send into another overtime period.

Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones took over for Zak Clark and ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns as the Razorbacks ran for 371 yards on 80 rushing attempts.

The Hogs would run the ball six straight times, gaining 23 yards to set up a 4th & 1 at the two-yard-line, when Nutt gambled again and decided to go for the 1st down instead of the field goal.
The gamble paid off as Pierce would score his third touchdown of the game to give Arkansas a 56-50 lead which became 58-50 after Jones connected with Birmingham on the two-point conversion.
When the Rebels got the ball for their possession in the seventh overtime frame, it would take them six plays to drive to the six-yard-line where they faced a do-or-die 4th & 2.
That is when Manning hit Armstead for three yards and a 1st down, which would followed by a three-yard touchdown pass to Armstead to cut the Arkansas' lead to 58-56 as the Rebels prepared for the two-point conversion that they needed to make in order to keep the game going.
Manning would complete a pass to Ziegler, but he was tackled by Arkansas linebacker Jermaine Petty at the two-yard-line, ending the longest game in college football history as the Razorbacks had come away with a 58-56 win in a 4-hour, 14-minute game which saw both teams combine for 198 plays, 988 yards of total offense and 114 points scored.
The seven-overtime loss to the Razorbacks was the first in a three-game losing streak of the Rebels which saw Ole Miss' dreams of going to the SEC Championship Game go up in smoke as they lost to Georgia and Mississippi State, before defeating Vanderbilt to end the season with a 7-4 record, but no invitation to a bowl game.
Manning would lead the Rebels to a bowl game the following season as the Rebels defeated Nebraska in the 2002 Independence Bowl, then would win 10 games in 2003 including a victory in the Cotton Bowl as Manning finished third in the race for the Heisman Trophy.
Eli would then go on be to the #1 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, but refused to play for the Chargers who picked him #1, forcing a trade to the New York Giants, to which he lead them to two Super Bowl victories.
As for the Razorbacks, they would finish the 2001 season with a 7-4 regular season record, earning them an invitation to the Cotton Bowl, which they lost to Oklahoma.
The following season, Arkansas would win the SEC West to go the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 1995, only to lose to Georgia 30-3.
This was followed by a 9-4 season, which included another seven overtime game, this time with Kentucky, which the Razorbacks won 71-63.
Three years later, North Texas and Florida International would play in a seven-overtime game which North Texas won 25-22.
It wouldn't be until 2017 when another seven-overtime game would occur in FBS college football when the University of Buffalo defeated Western Michigan 71-68 after seven overtimes.
Then in 2018, LSU and Texas A&M played in not only the fifth seven-overtime game in college football history, but also the highest scoring game in college football history as the A&M defeated LSU 74-72.