• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 22, 2009

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OXFORD, Miss. — Right there on the cusp of arguably one of the greatest comebacks in LSU history, the Tigers needed one or two more plays Saturday against Ole Miss.

The stage was set perfectly, with the moribund LSU offense surging to life for some fourth-quarter magic and several contributions from big playmakers potentially setting up kicker Josh Jasper for a chance to deliver a final dagger.

Instead of a memory of a lifetime, though, the Tigers’ day ended dramatically the wrong way with clock mismanagement, questionable play calls, confusion and a heart-wrenching loss.

The Rebels wriggled out of a potential disaster with a 25-23 triumph at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, snapping a four-game, 11-year losing streak to LSU at that stadium.

For the 10th-ranked Tigers (8-3, 4-3), this trip to Oxford will be forever known as the comeback that should’ve been, almost was, but instead got away.

“It’s a bad feeling; I really feel like we should’ve won that game,” LSU tailback Stevan Ridley said. “We played hard, and we finally created some breaks. Most of the time when you have that many breaks, you come out with a win. This one really hurts.”

The pain was masked by confusion in the postgame aftermath.

LSU coach Les Miles and quarterback Jordan Jefferson seemed dazed and bewildered afterward.

“The management at the back end of the game was the issue,” Miles said. “I take the blame without question.”

Jefferson’s answers were even more telling.

“There was a lot of confusion on the sideline, and we didn’t know what to do,” Jefferson said.

Before the confusion arrived, the Tigers were on the brink of a miracle.

Trailing 25-17 after Ole Miss pounded out a 15-play, 60-yard field-goal drive that devoured 8:26 of the fourth quarter, LSU sprang to life.