EDITOR’S NOTE: The LSU fans have voted and the Top 5 Night Games in Tiger Stadium history have been decided! The No. 3 game according to LSUsports.net’s fan poll was LSU’s 7-3 win over Ole Miss on Oct. 31, 1959.
CANNON’S 89-YARD RETURN WINS THRILLER, 7-3
LSU HOLDS IN LAST MINUTE
Rebels grab early lead on field goal
By Harry Martinez
Special to The Times-Picayune
Published Nov. 1, 1959
BATON ROUGE — Billy Cannon, LSU’s All-America halfback, electrified the crowd of 67,500 at the Tigers’ homecoming Saturday night by returning a punt 89 yards for LSU’s touchdown that enabled them to defeat Ole Miss 7 to 3 in a fiercely-fought battle.
The Rebels scored their three points on a field goal by Bobby Khayat in the first quarter. They clung to their lead until late in the final quarter when Cannon made his brilliant run to stretch the Tigers winning streak to 19 games and keep their chances alive to repeat as national champions.
However, it took a brilliant goal line stand in the final moments of the game to win. The Rebels marched to the Tigers’ one-yard stripe where they had to give up the ball on downs when it looked like they’d pulled the game out of the fire.
Cannon’s run was the greatest feat of a stubbornly fought battle in which both LSU and Ole Miss performed brilliantly on defense. Jake Gibbs, who did some fine punting for the Rebels kicked to the LSU 11. When Cannon took the ball the Rebs started reaching for him. Several got their hands on him but with the determination of a bulldog he refused to be stopped.
As Cannon shook himself clear he had an official racing down the sideline with him all the way to make sure he didn’t step out of bounds. When he crossed the goal line the LSU crowd went wild. Wendell Harris followed with a successful kick from placement for the extra point.
Harris earlier in the game missed a field goal from the Ole Miss 37. It was the first he has missed this season.
After Cannon’s brilliant run, the Rebels threw a scare into the Tigers. With Doug Elmore directing, the Rebels marched from their own 32-yard line, making five first downs in succession. Coach Paul Dietzel had to rush his White team to stop the march that ended on the Tiger one-yard line with 30 seconds left to play. Bo Strange and Cannon were in on the tackle that stopped Elmore on fourth down.
Ole Miss was on the Tiger 21 and third down when the first half ended. The Rebels dominated the play the first half. The Tigers fumbled four times and Billy Brewer recovered three for the Rebels.
The first fumble by Donnie Daye, recovered by Brewer on the Mississippi 43, did not get the Tigers in trouble. However, when Bobby Franklin of Ole Miss punted out of bounds on the LSU five and Cannon fumbled on the LSU 21 when trying to work his team out of danger, it gave Mississippi a great chance. It was shortly after that Khayat got his field goal.
LSU held the Rebs on the Tiger 22 in the second quarter then Earl Gros fumbled and Brewer recovered on the LSU 29. It was right after this that the Rebels worked the ball to the LSU seven and first down and the Tigers had to fight to hold them off until the half ended.
Ole Miss made 13 first downs to seven for LSU. The Rebs gained 150 yards rushing to 142 for the Tigers. LSU tried only five passes completing three for 29 yards.
Coach Jimmy Vaught’s team got fine kicking from Bobby Franklin and Jake Gibbs. Franklin’s punt out of bounds to the Tigers’ five-yard line early in the first quarter put the Tigers in a bad hole.
Cannon literally played himself out. He was a marked man and the Tigers had trouble shaking him loose. He starred on defense and did the kicking. He tried a trick once but didn’t get away with it, faking a punt on fourth down and running instead.
For a game with such little scoring it was a spine-tingling affair, especially in those closing seconds when the Rebels got so close to turning a 7-3 defeat into victory.
The Rebels were the first to come on the field cheered by their Mississippi supporters. The noise was deafening from the LSU student section when the Tigers made their appearance.
The field was wet from the heavy rains before noon but not soggy.
LSU won the toss and chose to receive. Ole Miss elected to defend the south goal.
Bobby Khayat kicked off to the LSU one-yard line to Johnny Robinson and he ran back to the LSU 28 where he was forced out of bounds. On the first series Cannon was sent through the line twice then Rabb completed a 13-yard pass to Robinson for a first down on the Tiger 44.
After Cannon brought the ball to midfield Donnie Daye fumbled and Billy Brewer recovered for the Rebels on the Ole Miss 43. On three plays by Brewer and Flowers netted nine yards but the Rebs refused to gamble for a first down. Bob Franklin came in and punted out of bounds to the Tigers five.
Cannon broke through for a 16-yard gain then fumbled and Brewer recovered on the Tiger 21-yard line.
Jake Gibbs went in to direct the Rebels’ offense. Blair picked up six yards over tackle and Flowers picked up seven for a first down on the Tiger eight.
Blair and Gibbs picked up five yards then Cannon broke through and threw Gibbs for a two-yard loss. Khayat dropped back to the 13-yard-line and made good his kick for a field goal putting the Rebs in front 3 to 0 after 7 minutes, 23 seconds of play. The kick was actually 22 yards.
Coach Paul Dietzel put in the Go squad at this stage.
After taking the kickoff in which Purvis returned to the Tiger 17, Earl Gros broke through the middle for 16 yards but the Tiger offense bogged down and Gus Kinchen was forced to punt to Hall who was stopped on the Reb 23.
Failing to gain Gibbs punted to the LSU 17 to Tommy Neck but the Tigers were penalized back to their 10-yard line for clipping.
Kinchen kicked off the side of his foot and the ball went out of bounds on the Tiger 37.
Franklin punted 33 yards out of bounds to the Tiger two-yard stripe. The Bandits were taken out and the White team returned to the game.
Cannon on two tries at the line gained eight yards then got off a fine kick to the Ole Miss 43-yard line to Franklin, who signaled for a fair catch as the first quarter ended.
The Rebels were set back by a five-yard penalty and had lost two yards on one play making it third down and 17 yards to go when a pass was allowed for interference giving the Rebels the ball on the Tiger 26 and a first down. Scotty McClain had interfered with Larry Grantham when he tried for Gibbs’ pass.
The Tigers put up a stout defense at this stage when John Langan knocked down a pass from Gibbs to Grantham. LSU took the ball on downs on their own 20.
After Blair returned Cannon’s punt to the Ole Miss 33 the Rebels drove from here to the LSU 22 where they lost the ball on downs.
The Go team went in for LSU and after Wendell Harris gained four yards Gros fumbled and Billy Brewer recovered for the Rebels on the Tiger 29-yard line.
The Bandits went in for the Tigers. Woodruff gained two yards at right guard then Winston threw Gibbs for a four-yard loss. Gibbs, back to pass and seeing his receivers covered, ran 13 yards for a first down on the Tiger 18.
Flowers hit left guard for three yards, then Crespino gained two at left end. Gibbs ran right end for six and a first down on the Tiger seven.
Gibbs tried a pass that was broken up by Andy Bourgeois. Ole Miss was penalized five yards for backs in motion. Then Franklin tried a pass to Crespino into the end zone but Tommy Neck and Merle Schexnaildre were there to break it up. Franklin then tried left end but gained only a yard as the Tigers swarmed in on him. With time running out Franklin grabbed the ball from the center and tried to lateral, but the half ended.
Shortly after the kickoff in the second half, Cannon intercepted a pass from Gibbs on the LSU 48 and ran to the Ole Miss 36.
Robinson and Cannon picked up four yards on two tries at the line then Billy Brewer broke up a pass from Rabb to McClain. Harris tried a field goal from the Ole Miss 37 that fell short and Mississippi got the ball on her 13. Gibbs got off a 52-yard punt to Cannon who returned to the LSU 42.
Rabb gained eight yards over right tackle but was rushed on the next play by Kempinoka and thrown for a 10-yard loss. Cannon had to kick and punt it into the end zone. Gibbs kicked back immediately for 60 yards to Cannon who brought the ball back to the LSU 29.
The tigers put on a drive from here all the way to the Ole Miss 20 where they lost the ball on downs. In the march, a double reverse from Harris to Purvis to Matherne netted 14 yards. Twice Matherne had to sneak through center for a first down, but when the Tigers got deep in the Ole Miss territory and needing about a yard and a half for a first down, Gros ran into a stone wall and the ball went over.
Near the end of the third quarter, Cannon faked a punt on fourth down and tried to run left end but lost a yard and the ball went over to Ole Miss on its own 38.
The third quarter ended Ole Miss 3, LSU 0.
Early in the fourth quarter Gibbs punted to Billy Cannon to the LSU 11-yard line. Cannon shook off one tackler after another and ran down the sideline for 89 yards and a touchdown for LSU, putting the Tigers in front for the first time. Wendell Harris made the kick good from placement for the extra point and LSU led, 7-3.
The rebels took Fugler’s kickoff after the touchdown and marched from their own 32 to the Tigers 23 on the Bandits and coach Dietzel rushed his White team in. The Rebels had made four first downs in succession with Woodruff and Anderson doing most of the ball-carrying.
After the Whites went in Woodruff gained five yards over left guard. He was held for no gain on the next play by Johnny Robinson. Woodruff was hurt and replaced by Blair. Elmore ran wide around left end for eight yards for a first down on the Tigers’ seven.
Here the tigers made a great goal line stand to take the ball on downs on their one-yard-line with 30 seconds left for play. Blair had gained two yards at right tackle and Elmore three at left end. Elmore was held for no gain at left end then Elmore was stopped by Strange and Cannon for a yard gain and the ball went over to LSU as the clock ticked off the final seconds.