LSU had to battle a slow start once again on Saturday against UCLA in Week 4, but like in Week 3 against South Carolina, it overcame that. This time, the Tigers pulled away in the second half for a much more comfortable 34-17 win to move to 3-1 on the year.
LSU had some defensive struggles in the first half, particularly against the pass, but quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] got off to a hot start with a pair of first-half touchdown passes, including a 45-yard bomb to [autotag]Kyle Parker[/autotag].
And despite those defensive issues, the unit came up with some big, timely plays. The Tigers totaled four first-half sacks and recovered a fumble that led to a field goal.
However, the Bruins managed to drive down the field in the final minute, setting up a game-tying touchdown with two seconds to left as the teams entered the locker room tied at 17.
After getting a stop to start the second half, LSU was pinned at its four but responded with a 14-play, 96-yard drive capped off by a [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] touchdown to get back on top.
The Tigers would expand their lead early in the fourth despite starting the drive pinned at the eight when Nussmeier found freshman running back [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] on a 35-yard touchdown, most of which came after the catch.
Though LSU allowed a fairly efficient day from quarterback Ethan Garbers aside from a late interception from [autotag]Jardin Gilbert[/autotag], it ultimately tightened up, pitching a second-half shutout while allowing fewer than 300 yards.
On the ground, the Bruins totaled just 14 yards on 22 carries while the Tigers sacked Garbers five times, including one from five-star true freshman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag].
The defense did suffer a potentially significant loss in the fourth quarter as [autotag]Harold Perkins Jr.[/autotag] left the game with a knee injury and was later ruled out. His status moving forward is unclear.
It was another big game for Nussmeier, who completed 32 of 44 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns. [autotag]Mason Smith[/autotag] (eight catches, 77 yards) and [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] (six catches, 75 yards) paced the team through the air.
It wasn’t a particularly efficient game on the ground, but [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] was the standout with 62 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
The Tigers will play at home again next weekend against South Alabama before a bye. Then, a potentially top-five Ole Miss team comes to town in Week 7.
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