BATON ROUGE &045; An LSU win should have been a foregone conclusion.

After all, the Rebels were 3-6 coming into the game, with their only wins coming in overtime against Vanderbilt, against Arkansas State and a surprising victory over South Carolina. LSU was 8-2 with it losses coming to No. 2 Auburn and No. 11 Georgia.

In short, it wasn’t the makings of a close game.

LSU once again made things interesting, struggling for three quarters before turning it on late to get a 27-24 victory and keep their hopes for a New Year’s Day bowl alive.

&uot;I think it says a lot about the character of our team with the mistakes that we made in the game, that we did not play our best game (but still won),&uot; LSU head coach Nick Saban said.

It took the best game ever by an LSU running back from Alley Broussard to make it happen. Broussard set a school record for rushing yards with 250. He averaged a mammoth 9.6 yards per carry in the game, almost single-handedly carrying his team to the win, and had three touchdowns in the game.

&uot;I just have to give credit to my offensive linemen,&uot; Broussard said. &uot;They opened up some massive holes. I was in the zone a few times, I had my mind right.&uot;

Things started well for the Tigers. Broussard’s 44-yard dash set up his own touchdown run, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead just 3:25 into the game.

The Rebel offense didn’t begin things as well. A fumble on LSU’s first kickoff led to poor field position at the Ole Miss 8-yard line. They then had to drive 61 yards just to attempt a 49-yard field goal, which Jonathan Nichols made, putting the Rebels on the board.

Broussard added another touchdown as time ran out in the first quarter.

Ole Miss fought back midway through the second quarter, in part because of gutsy playcalling by the Rebel coaching staff. On fourth and 4, punter Cody Ridgeway ran 22 yards on a fake punt as the Rebels eventually scored on a Robert Lane cut the deficit to 14-13.

The Tigers’ kicking game, a source of considerable anxiety this season, was again troublesome. Kicker Chris Jackson connected on a 51-yard attempt just before halftime but later missed a 47-yarder.

Ryan Gaudet, the other kicker for the Tigers, missed a field goal late in the game that would have given the Tigers a six-point lead.

Jackson had other troubles. A shank on the ensuing kickoff put Ole Miss in position to drive for a score before the end of the second quarter. Nichols hit his third field goal of the game as time ran out on the half, making the score 17-16 LSU.

Then lightning struck. The Rebels’ Trumaine McBride intercepted LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell and ran it back 48 yards for a touchdown. Lane converted for two points, giving Ole Miss a 24-17 advantage and striking fear in the hearts of Tiger fans.

The Tigers weren’t ready to lay down just yet. Jackson connected on a 42-yard field goal late in the third quarter bringing LSU within four points.

Then, early in the fourth quarter, Broussard struck again with his third touchdown, putting the Tigers ahead for good at 27-24.

LSU’s Jessie Daniels intercepted Ole Miss quarterback Ethan Flatt with 0:43 remaining to seal the victory.

&uot;It proved to be a tough pill to swallow,&uot; Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe said.