LSU did its best to give every Tiger fan a heart attack, but came out of South Carolina with a 36-33 win to start 1-0 in SEC play.
It was a rough first quarter and change with the Gamecocks jumping out to a 17-0 lead. That run was capped after South Carolina blocked a punt to set up a one-play touchdown drive.
LSU managed to settle down after that and respond with a score of its own. The Tigers seized momentum and went into halftime down eight. LSU’s defense pitched a shutout in the third quarter and allowed LSU to take a lead early in the fourth.
But South Carolina wasn’t done. The Gamecocks took the lead back as the LSU offense sputtered. Eventually, Nussmeier and crew got it together to lead a go-ahead drive in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
This one was stressful but it’s not easy to play on the road in the SEC. LSU showed resilience and got the win. Here are five takeaways from LSU’s three-point win.
Caden Durham injects life into the run game
LSU struggled to run the ball the first two weeks of the season and early today, the story began to repeat. Then LSU got Caden Durham involved.
Durham, a true-freshman, was one of the top running back recruits in the class. We just didn’t know when LSU would start to feature Durham in the offense, but with LSU needing a shot of life on the ground, the Tigers turned to the youngster.
A 26-yard burst from Durham put LSU on the board in the first half. It was the type of explosive play LSU’s been searching for all year.
Durham continued to rip off chunks on the ground and finished with 11 carries for 98 yards and two scores.
Expect Durham to be a central part of this offense moving forward.
Nussmeier overcomes mistake
With a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier threw a pick. It was a rare mistake in an otherwise clean season for LSU’s QB1.
When LSU got the ball back, Nussmeier responded. A shot to [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] set LSU up to take the lead.
Nussmeier was far from perfect on Saturday, but he made enough plays to get LSU the win. He finished 24 of 40 for 261 yards and two scores.
Bradyn Swinson has a day
LSU needed a playmaker to step up on defense. Today, that was veteran defensive end [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag].
Swinson finished with three sacks and a forced fumble. He was a problem for South Carolina’s offensive line all game.
Big things were expected from Swinson after he emerged late in 2023. LSU’s defense is inconsistent, which means the Tigers need havoc plays of their own to balance it out. Swinson provided that havoc on Saturday.
LSU defense makes the most of passing downs
It wasn’t a pretty day for the LSU defense. South Carolina was efficient on the ground and averaged over seven yards per play, but LSU took advantage when it pinned the Gamecocks in obvious passing downs.
South Carolina’s success rate on passing downs was just 26%. It’s unfair to expect this defense to be perfect from down to down. DC [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] is still figuring it out with a slew of young players, but LSU needs to make the most of advantageous situations.
LSU can threaten defenses all over the field
We’ve been waiting for LSU to find an explosive element in the passing game and it appeared on Saturday.
Nussmeier showed a willingness to push the ball down the field, allowing [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and Lacy to make some big plays.
LSU misses Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr, but it remains with a talented group of receivers. Anderson, Lacy, [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] all crossed 50 yards receiving with Lacy and Taylor scoring.
LSU’s depth at WR makes this offense tough to defend. No matter how defenses elect to cover LSU, there’s a mismatch somewhere.
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