Les Miles has always had a way with words, and he succinctly summed up what LSU’s home-field advantage after the Tigers’ 10-7 upset win over Ole Miss on Saturday.

“That was Death Valley. That was the place where opponents’ dreams come to die.”

Tiger Stadium, also known as Death Valley, was rocking. Beat writers said that, after Logan Stokes’ game-winning touchdown catch, the stadium was as loud as they’d ever heard it. Mississippi quarterback Bo Wallace said the stadium was “the craziest place (he had) played” and that the atmosphere dictated what the Rebels were able to do.

Miles and his Tigers ended Mississippi’s dream of an undefeated season with the upset on Saturday, damaging the Rebels’ College Football Playoff hopes in the process (we’ll find out just how damaging the loss was tonight, when the first set of CFP rankings are revealed). Knocking of highly ranked teams with national championship dreams has become common practice for LSU under Miles’ stewardship over the past decade.

In 12 home games against top-10 teams since Miles took over in 2005, LSU is 7-5. They’ve also beaten a top-10 team at home in each of the last five seasons. Here’s a quick rundown from 2010-2013:

  • Nov. 6, 2010: Coming off their first national championship under Saban, Alabama was a few weeks removed from its first loss in nearly two years a few weeks prior, but still ranked No. 5 in the nation. No. 12 LSU pulled ahead by 10 in the fourth quarter and held on for the win 24-21 win.
  • Nov. 25, 2011: LSU was ranked No. 1 in the nation, and welcomed in an Arkansas team that was riding high at No. 3, led by Bobby Petrino and quarterback Tyler Wilson. The Tigers crushed the Razorbacks, 41-17, on their way to an SEC title and BCS Championship game appearance.
  • Oct. 13, 2012: South Carolina was a program on the rise at the beginning of this decade, and in 2012 they reached one of their loftiest perches when they hit No. 3 in the rankings. They came into Death Valley to meet the No. 9 Tigers and, despite a valiant effort, couldn’t pull out the win in an environment that had usually stoic quarterback Connor Shaw playing nervous.
  • Nov. 23, 2013: Led by Johnny Manziel, No. 9 Texas A&M came into Death Valley with hopes of a BCS bowl game. No. 18 LSU took them to task, jumping out to a 21-3 lead and never looking back. They made Manziel, the defending Heisman winner, look pedestrian in the process, limiting him to 16-of-41 passing for 224 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT.

Of course, everyone saw the dramatic 10-7 win LSU pulled out over then No. 3 Ole Miss (No. 9 after the loss), a heartfelt affair in a supercharged atmosphere. Despite the fears all visitors have of entering Death Valley for a night game, only two of the victories over the last five years (Ole Miss and South Carolina) came after nighttime kickoffs.

Saturday night against Ole Miss looked to be by far the best environment of the season in Baton Rouge. Despite a stadium expansion that upped the capacity to more than 102,000, fans had not been showing out this season as they have in the past. Against Mississippi State, unranked at the time, the stands looked to be half-empty by the time Brandon Harris nearly led a ridiculous comeback.

Going up against a highly ranked rival team, and possibly because of some prodding from Miles, the fans were loud and rowdy for four quarters against Ole Miss, making noise all the way through the deciding drive. LSU is going to need that again when they return to action against Alabama on Nov. 8.

LSU last beat multiple top-10 teams in 2011, when they knocked off three teams in the top three, and they have a chance to get their second big upset of the season against Alabama. Once again, the game will be in primetime, with an 8 p.m. ET kickoff. It presents another opportunity for LSU to blow up SEC West and the playoff picture.

LSU played itself out of the SEC West conversation with back-to-back losses early in the season, barring some fortunate breaks.

They’re still in position to kill some dreams, though.