LSU will kick off its season against USC on Sunday night. It’s the fifth-straight year LSU’s opened with a power conference opponent. It’s LSU’s third year in a row getting the Sunday night spotlight. The first two didn’t go well with LSU dropping season openers to Florida State in 2022 and 2023.
The Tigers will hope for a different outcome this year as they face a ranked USC team. As weird as it sounds, this is an SEC vs. Big Ten matchup with the Trojans shifting conferences.
The two programs have met just twice, meeting in 1979 and 1984. This game will serve as a rubber match with the series split at 1-1.
Las Vegas is playing host, making this another neutral site game.
LSU and USC are in similar spots. Both head coaches are feeling a little pressure to get their squad to the 12-team playoff. Both are trying to replace Heisman-winning QBs while counting on a new defensive coordinator to fix major issues on that side of the ball.
Here’s how the previous meetings between the schools went.
1979
The No. 1 ranked USC Trojans took a trip to Tiger Stadium in September of 1979. LSU was ranked as well, but USC was a double-digit favorite.
LSU was quarterbacked by [autotag]Steve Ensminger[/autotag] and held a 12-3 lead in the fourth quarter.
The lead didn’t hold. Two late touchdowns put USC up 17-12. LSU had a chance to jump back in front, but the USC defense came up with a needed stop.
It was LSU’s first loss in what would go on to be a disappointing year. The Tigers finished 7-5, which included dropping games to Florida State, Tulane and Georgia.
1984
Five years later, LSU met USC again. This time, it was in Los Angeles and the USC sat No. 15 in the country. LSU was unranked and entered the game 2-0-1.
LSU ran the ball 51 times for 150 yards. Those efficiency numbers wouldn’t be good today, but it was enough to get the job done back then.
On defense, LSU stifled USC and recovered two fumbles. LSU left LA with a 23-3 win.
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