Two days after, the LSU Tigers were still marveling Monday at their comeback for the ages Saturday against Troy.

For those who didn't pay attention, a brief synopsis: The Tigers trailed 24-3 at halftime and 31-3 early in the third quarter before rallying to win 40-31 with 37 unanswered points that basically came in a frenzied 15-minute rush from the 1:26 mark of the third quarter until the 1:40 mark of the fourth.

"I've never been part of a comeback that large," quarterback Jarrett Lee said. "It was exciting to see the character of our team come out."

Wide receiver Demetrius Byrd was excited by the fans who stayed out in the chilly weather with the cold effort the Tigers were putting on the field most of the game. As LSU's rally mounted, he looked to the student section and saw students flapping their arms like in the movie "Angels in the Outfield."

"It was exciting to be part of it," Byrd said. "Now we know we've got the ability to do that."

As much as LSU's school-record rally - the Tigers have never to anyone's knowledge come back to win from 28 points down before - warmed the heart and built the confidence, there is the flip side. The fact that LSU got outplayed so badly as to fall behind 31-3 to a team from the Sun Belt Conference, much less a team from the SEC.

An SEC opponent is what awaits the No. 18-ranked Tigers (7-3, 3-3 SEC) this Saturday, as Ole Miss (6-4, 3-3) invades Tiger Stadium for a 2:30 p.m. CBS tilt in what is being called the inaugural Magnolia Bowl (see Blog).

A beating is what likely awaits LSU if the Tigers get off to a similarly frigid start against the Rebels.

"Ole Miss is a real good team," Byrd said. "We can't get down to them. No offense to Troy, but Ole Miss is more athletic."

The Rebels have had an up-and-down season but can count among their successes a stunning 31-30 victory at Florida on Sept. 27 - a place LSU lost 51-21 two weeks later - and a current three-game winning streak that is their longest since 2003.

That season marked the last time Ole Miss made a bowl appearance. The Rebels, quarterbacked by Eli Manning, finished 10-3 with a 31-28 Cotton Bowl victory over an Oklahoma State team coached by Les Miles.

Ole Miss won just 14 games over the next four seasons under David Cutcliffe and Ed Orgeron, but now appear to be pointed in a winning direction again under first-year coach Houston Nutt.

The former Arkansas coach has brought much of the same offense and attitude with him from his 10 years in Fayetteville, according to LSU coach Les Miles.

"He's used the Wildcat formation in a very like manner to what he did at Arkansas," Miles said at his weekly news conference. "I think they have a better quarterback (Texas transfer Jevan Sneed) and they enjoy him throwing the football.

"There's a lot of similarities to what they've done at Arkansas."

Saturday's game will be the last for Byrd and 19 other LSU seniors. It is sure to be an emotional moment, but the focus will continue to be on LSU's freshmen quarterbacks.

The "young kid," as Jarrett Lee refers to true freshman Jordan Jefferson, spelled Lee at several points and scored on a 3-yard keeper for his first college touchdown.

But it's the not-quite-as-young Lee, all of 19, who was the comeback kid against Troy.

Booed from the opening introductions, Lee overcame a rocky first half - he went 2 of 8 for 11 yards including his seventh interception returned for a touchdown this season - to complete 18 of 24 passes in the second half for 205 yards and a score during the Tigers' surge to victory.

"In the first half we struggled a bit," said Lee, who apparently majors in understatement. "It was all about settling down. In the second half, they gave us everything we saw in the first half. We just stayed focused and played smart ball."

Miles, who has little choice but to stick with Lee since Jefferson is so inexperienced and sophomore Andrew Hatch is at least questionable again with a leg injury, said his starting quarterback is improving.

"He's managing the position better and better," Miles said. "Whether the light switch is on in every room or not is not a certainty. But most of the house is lit. I like what's going on."