Quick thoughts following LSU’s 10-7 upset of Mississippi.

What it means: Miles Magic lives, and Death Valley is still a terrifying place to play. The Tigers fans absolutely brought it on Saturday, helping to cause cause confusion for Ole Miss in the fourth quarter, and LSU played outstanding defensive football and made their biggest plays in crunch time. There was plenty of weirdness in this game, as has been the case in many of Miles’ signature wins. LSU, written off just a few weeks ago, has now completely upset the balance in the SEC West.

What I liked: The defensive effort. Aside from two dropped interceptions, LSU’s defense did everything in their power to win this game. The Tigers had Bo Wallace rattled and frustrated for much of the night and forced the Rebels into four straight three-and-outs in the second half. They didn’t force any turnovers, but harried Wallace into plenty of inaccurate throws. While the offense shot itself in the foot on multiple occasions, especially in the first half, the defense shut Ole Miss down. The Tigers forced four straight three-and-outs in the fourth quarter and picked up a fourth down stop as well. They also came up biggest when it mattered most, sealing the game with an interception.

What I didn’t like: The turnovers. LSU would have avoided the late drama had they held onto the ball. Leonard Fournette fumbled at the goal line in the first quarter, Terrence Magee gave away another first half fumble and Anthony Jennings threw an interception in the fourth quarter, his second of the game, that nearly cost the Tigers the game. In addition, LSU dropped two interceptions that would have swung the turnover margin earlier in the game.

Key play: Ronald Martin’s interception. It took nearly five full games, but Wallace finally turned the ball over in SEC play. He did it twice, actually, but Jalen Collins’ interception on Ole Miss’ final drive was called off due to pass interference. Ole Miss took a delay of game penalty setting up for a game-tying field goal, and instead of trying a kick from 47 yards they decided to run one more play. Wallace rolled to his left and threw toward the pylon. Martin came flying from the middle of the field and got in front of the underthrown ball, sealing the upset.

Who’s the man: The entire team played inspired football, so the game ball goes to Miles. Coaching less than 24 hours after his mother passed away, the Mad Hatter’s team came out and played their tails off. They played classic LSU football, bringing the thunder on both sides of the ball.

What’s next: LSU has a bye next week, then welcome Alabama into Tiger Stadium on Nov. 8. Alabama beat Tennessee 34-20 on Saturday and also has a bye next weekend.