Lane Kiffin’s long-anticipated return to Oxford did not go to plan. LSU looked dead on arrival in the first half, mounted a comeback to tie the game at 24-24, and then watched Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and Pete Golding pull away for a 32-24 Rebels victory at home. The Tigers’ loss exposed issues across the roster, from the defensive line to the quarterback position to the head coach himself.

There were not a lot of winners for LSU on Saturday night, but there were a few worth mentioning, along with a lengthy list of losers.

Winners

Winston Watkins Jr.

Wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. had a big-time touchdown catch from quarterback Sam Leavitt and looked like the only wide receiver on the field generating any sort of separation. He had juice. He helped the Tigers claw back into the game when it looked like they were dead in the water against Ole Miss. Watkins was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal offensive performance.

Blake Baker

Defensive coordinator Blake Baker deserves credit for a strong second-half adjustment. That first half, it looked like Ole Miss and Chambliss were going to run away with the game. Baker came out of the locker room and started heating up Chambliss, forcing an interception and getting the Ole Miss quarterback off his spot. You saw different safeties and linebackers blitzing from depth, some off the edge, mugging up the A-gaps. Baker threw a lot of different looks at Chambliss, and for the most part they worked in terms of disrupting his passing ability. Despite the shaky first half, Baker earned his spot on the winners list, even though his team came up short.

Trey’Dez Green

Tight end Trey’Dez Green was all over the field and probably the most reliable pass catcher LSU had on Saturday night before an unfortunate injury. Green left the game on a cart with a lower body injury, which is never a good sign. If Green stays healthy and is the target on that final drive, LSU probably scores that touchdown, and who knows if they convert the two-point attempt. His absence down the stretch was felt.

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Losers

Defensive Line

The LSU defensive line was problematic all night. The unit did not stop the run or generate much pressure in the first half, which forced Baker to start dialing up blitzes in the second half. The bigger issue was discipline. Gap integrity, rush lanes, keying the snap count, jumping offsides late in the game when Ole Miss drove down and scored. The fundamentals were simply not there.

Sam Leavitt

Quarterback Sam Leavitt had a rough night throwing the football. He had the rushing touchdown and the score to Watkins, but as a passer, it was not there. After a week where he went from doubtful to questionable to suiting up, coming off a game against Louisiana Tech where he threw three interceptions, Leavitt right now, outside of the Clemson game, is a better runner than he is a passer. That is problematic for LSU. The final drive told the story. What should have been a walk-in touchdown turned into a drop because the throw was not square in the numbers. The fourth-and-goal attempt was tipped at the line. Leavitt, the passer, was not nearly good enough on Saturday.

Charlie Weiss Jr.

Offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss Jr. had some questionable calls, particularly the penalty on the final drive that set LSU back. Trying to get cute with different personnel groupings and creating new looks is understandable when your star tight end is hurt, your wide receivers are not separating, and your quarterback is flustered. But there were multiple situations where the play calls were iffy, to say the least.

Lane Kiffin

Lane Kiffin is the biggest loser of the night. All the antics leading up to this game, whether it was the situation with the SEC and player eligibility, Sam Leavitt’s injury drama and texting Pete Golding during the week, or what Kiffin did before the game, none of it translated to winning football. That offensive line at the end, that defensive line at the end, that overall team at the end was unsound, undisciplined, and unprepared to go into Oxford and win.

The way I see it, this is coming from one of the few people in the media who supports Lane Kiffin. But Saturday night was not good enough from the head coach of the LSU Tigers. Not the preparation, not the discipline, not the result. The return to Oxford will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.