Nicholls State Colonels – Syndication Server

5 stats that defined LSU’s win over Nicholls

These five numbers defined LSU football’s Week 2 contest with Nicholls.

LSU football notched its first win of the 2024 campaign when it met Nicholls State on Saturday night. The Tigers got off to a slow start, but a strong third quarter created distance and LSU pulled away for a double-digit win.

Many of the concerns LSU had coming out of the USC game are still there. LSU fans likely wanted to see a more emphatic win over a lesser opponent, especially with SEC play getting underway next week.

As usual, we’ll take a look at five stats that defined the win. Not all of these numbers are great, though. Some are more representative of those struggles and concerns rather than the final score.

After the game, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said LSU was fatigued from the short week while adding there was still a lot that needed to be cleaned up.

Here are five stats that defined LSU’s Week 2 win.

-0.05 EPA/run

Our first stat isn’t a good one. Even against an FCS opponent, LSU failed to get the run game going. LSU’s EPA on the ground was in the negative again, with just -0.05 per carry.

LSU ran it 21 times and only eight carries went for four-plus yards. [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] was LSU’s leading rusher with nine carries for 23 yards. [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] didn’t add much either, combining for 29 yards on nine carries.

After the game, Kelly said LSU checked out of several run calls at the line of scrimmage thanks to Nicholls loading the box. The offense wasn’t given the chance to establish the run, but when LSU did hand it off, the results weren’t what you want to see.

Zy Alexander’s 82.3 PFF grade

LSU corner [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] made his return on Saturday after tearing his ACL in October of 2023. Alexander is a veteran, a contrast to LSU’s young secondary.

After the game, Kelly said he was impressed with Alexander’s performance and the numbers back it up.

According to PFF, Alexander was LSU’s highest-graded defender in week two. He was targeted five times but allowed just two catches for five yards. Nicholls had a 47.9 passer rating when targeting Alexander, which was one of the best marks in the SEC on Saturday.

LSU is counting on Alexander’s experience to elevate the secondary and this was a good first step.

Garrett Nussmeier’s six passing touchdowns

LSU’s QB1 had another strong showing, completing 27 of 37 passes for 302 yards and six scores.

Nussmeier is now the SEC’s leader in passing touchdowns with eight through two games.

Nussmeier entered the year with high expectations and so far we haven’t seen anything to counter that. There’s still progress to be made in pushing the ball down the field, but LSU has a QB that’s getting the ball where it needs to go on time.

Seven receivers surpassed 40 yards or scored

It was a group effort for LSU in the passing game. Kyren Lacy, CJ Daniels, Aaron Anderson, Mason Taylor, and Zavion Thomas all surpassed the 40 yard mark while tight end Trey’Dez Green and running back Ju’Juan Johnson each got in on the action with a touchdown.

With the amount of production LSU lost at receiver, LSU needed a slew of new options to emerge.

Kyren Lacy was the obvious candidate, but LSU’s getting what it needs from guys like Daniels, Anderson and Taylor too.

Ju’Juan Johnson and Trey’Dez Green both lack experience, but the talent is undeniable. LSU is making an effort to get the ball to playmakers.

Explosive play rate: 3%

LSU’s EPA/play was in the 90th percentile on Saturday, but the offense struggled to create explosive plays. According to GameOnPaper, LSU’s explosive play rate was 3%. That was four points below Nicholls’ mark of 7%.

LSU had the most explosive offense in the country last year. A step back was expected with Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. heading to the NFL, but the cupboard isn’t bare.

LSU has the tools to create more big plays. Nussmeier has the arm to chuck it and the talent is there at receiver. It might take some time to get on the same page, but I’d expect this offense to get more explosive as the season progresses.

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LSU falls in ESPN FPI despite Week 2 win over Nicholls

The Tigers won their first game of the season on Saturday, but it certainly raised some concerns.

LSU got its first win of the season on Saturday night at home in Week 2 against Nicholls, but it wasn’t without its concerns.

While the passing game impressed as quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] threw for over 300 yards and six touchdowns, it still wasn’t the best game defensively as the Tigers allowed 150 yards on the ground. Their own ground game also struggled, going for just 64 yards on 21 carries.

LSU got some momentum entering its Week 3 SEC opener against South Carolina, but it wasn’t the most inspiring performance. As a result, the Tigers dropped three spots in Sunday’s update to the ESPN FPI from No. 17 to No. 20.

Coach Brian Kelly’s team clearly has some limitations early in the season. Only time will tell if it can overcome those and an early loss to compete for a College Football Playoff spot.

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Stock Up, Stock Down: LSU wins first game of the season against Nicholls

Let’s look at who saw their stock rise and who saw their stock fall in the win over the Colonels.

Let me say this upfront, this team has some issues. I have no idea what the Tigers coaching staff needs to do to fix those issues either. Just like last year’s team, this team can not run the football. LSU has two of the top offensive tackles in the country and some solid starting linemen but can’t provide the push it needs to run the ball.

It’s not like LSU was taking on an SEC opponent or USC again, this is Nicholls State. If there is a team you would think you can impose your will on, it would be these guys. Yet the Tigers were only able to run the ball 21 times for 64 yards. Three yards per carry against a non-Division I team is atrocious. Sure, [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] and the LSU passing game are good, but they need the run game to help open up the passing game.

Let’s look at who saw their stock rise and who saw their stock fall in this game.

Stock Down: The Run Game

LSU has to find a way to run the football. This was a huge problem in 2023 but [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] was able to pick up a lot of that slack. The Tigers need to run the ball with their actual running backs instead of their quarterbacks.

Stock Up: Kyren Lacy

For the second week in a row, [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] had a great game. He finished the night with five receptions for 65 yards and three touchdowns.

Stock Up: Greg Penn III

[autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag] was all over the field for the Tigers’ defense. He finished the night with the most tackles on the team as he had nine tackles.

Stock Up: Garrett Nussmeier

Another great night for Nussmeier as he was nearly perfect. He finished the game after going 27-for-37 for 302 yards and six touchdowns. He definitely did not get “outplayed” this week.

Stock Down: Injuries

The last thing this team needs is to have a lot of injuries. [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] left the game with an injury and did not return. He was later seen in a wheelchair with a cast on his leg. Nussmeier and Lacy also exited the game with injuries for moments as well. LSU needs to stay healthy.

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5 takeaways from LSU’s win over Nicholls State in Week 2

LSU is in the win column in 2024. Here are five takeaways from the Tigers win over Nicholls.

LSU football got its first win of the 2024 campaign as the Tigers returned home to host Nicholls State on Saturday night. Brian Kelly’s group took some time to find their footing, but LSU pulled away in the second half for a final score of 44-21.

It was the opening night for Tiger Stadium’s 100th anniversary season and Tiger fans were treated to a brand new video board, new LED lights, and an improved sound system.

On the field, LSU QB [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] led the way with six touchdowns. Three of those went to WR [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], who paired the scores with five catches for 65 yards.

LSU is still waiting for its run game to wake up, with [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] pacing the team with just 19 yards apiece.

It was a thrilling day around the sport, but luckily for Tiger fans, LSU avoided the chaos.

The win should help stabilize LSU as it opens conference play against South Carolina next week. Here are five takeaways from LSU’s win over Nicholls State.

Sloppy start for the Tigers

LSU expects to have its way with an FCS opponent. That’s not what happened in the first half and it was another sloppy start for the Tigers.

LSU picked up a first down but failed to score on the first drive. The offense eventually picked it up, but it wasn’t smooth sailing the first two quarters.

The bigger concern was on the defensive side of the ball. Nicholls was more physical than LSU up front, methodically moving down the field and controlling the football.

Nicholls didn’t throw a single incompletion in the first half and LSU didn’t do much to make the Colonels uncomfortable.

The first half was capped with a special teams error as [autotag]Damian Ramos[/autotag] pushed a field goal right.

A few injury scares

You want to exit these buy games healthy, but LSU had a few scares on Saturday night.

Nussmeier and Lacy both left the game to receive attention from the trainers. Both players returned, but seeing two key pieces on the sideline wasn’t a welcome sight for LSU fans.

The bigger concern is defensive tackle [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag], who left the game and was later seen in a cast and wheelchair.

LSU is already thin at defensive tackle and Guillory is the only proven DT on the roster. If LSU is without Guillory for an extended period of time, it changes the outlook for LSU up front.

Ju’Juan Johnson makes his RB debut

[autotag]Ju’Juan Johnson[/autotag] has played running back for just a few days, but you wouldn’t know that if you saw him on the field Saturday.

Johnson was a QB in high school and recruited as a DB, but with LSU’s RB growing thin, the Tigers are giving Johnson a shot. He was involved early on Saturday night, getting his first touch on LSU’s second drive.

Later in the half, Johnson caught a pass and made a few defenders miss. Not long after that, Nussmeier found Johnson for a score.

Johnson is no stranger to having the ball in his hands. He was a star quarterback at the high school level, after all.

We’ll get a better idea of LSU’s plans for Johnson next week. Were the Tigers just using an FCS opponent to get him some reps or does he factor into LSU’s rotation in conference play?

Aaron Anderson continues to emerge

We knew Lacy, [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] would factor into this offense, but there was suspense surrounding LSU’s fourth receiver.

[autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] was the obvious candidate, but he’s missed the first two games with an injury. In Hilton’s absence, [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] has stepped up,

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said the redshirt sophomore had a breakout game last week and Anderson produced again on Saturday night. The numbers weren’t gaudy, but Anderson caught five passes for 63 yards.

LSU doesn’t need Anderson to be a gamebreaker, but he’s on pace for a 762 yard season after two games. That’ll do.

Questions remain entering conference play

LSU got it together in the second half, but there will be anxiety entering conference play. LSU’s SEC schedule gets underway with a road trip to South Carolina next week. The Gamecocks impressed on Saturday with an emphatic win over Kentucky.

If South Carolina repeats that performance and LSU comes out flat again, LSU won’t like the result next week.

LSU should feel good about its passing game, but health at receiver is a minor concern. The run game is the biggest question on LSU’s offense. The depth at RB is worth monitoring and LSU’s offensive line will be tested again next week after it struggled against USC.

On defense, LSU is still working out its rotation in the secondary. LSU likes what it has with [autotag]Ashton Stamps[/autotag] and [autotag]PJ Woodland[/autotag] at corner, but both are young and mistakes are inevitable.

Up front, the Guillory injury complicates things even further.

LSU’s ceiling is still the College Football Playoff, but its impossible not to ask a few questions after LSU’s 1-1 start.

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LSU pulls away in second half to beat Nicholls in home opener

It was closer than the Tigers would have hoped, but they earned their first win of the season with a 44-21 victory over Nicholls.

It was certainly closer at times than LSU would have liked, but coach Brian Kelly’s team pulled away in the second half to beat Nicholls State 44-21 in its Week 2 home opener on Saturday night. The Tigers move to 1-1 heading into its SEC opener on the road against South Carolina, which will host College GameDay next week.

Nicholls, a ranked FCS opponent facing LSU for the first time in program history, held its own for a while. The Colonels trailed just 23-14 at halftime and cut the Tigers lead to just two early in the third, but some offensive explosion was enough for them to avoid a much scarier conclusion.

[autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] was strong in this game, completing 27 of 37 passes for 302 yards and six touchdowns. It was a good thing he was that productive because the ground game was non-existent.

The Tigers managed just 64 yards on 21 carries, with no back exceeding 19 yards individually. That’s a concern, especially with the season-ending injury to [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag]

Freshman defensive back [autotag]Ju’Juan Johnson[/autotag], who moved to running back this week, helped bridge that gap and caught a touchdown pass out of the backfield. [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], who was injured in the first half but returned, caught three touchdown passes and totaled 65 yards in the receiving game.

After giving up a big day to USC, LSU’s defensive concerns were far from alleviated in this game. While it held Nicholls under 300 yards — just barely — quarterback Pat McQuaide was efficient and avoided turnovers while Collin Guggenheim went off for 145 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

While Lacy was able to return, LSU didn’t escape the game entirely unscathed from an injury perspective. Veteran defensive tackle [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] exited the game, didn’t return and was later spotted on the sideline in a wheelchair with his leg in a cast.

That would be a major loss if it proves to be for a significant period.

It wasn’t exactly the performance the Tigers were hoping for, but it gave them their first win and something to build on with a South Carolina matchup looming that suddenly seems tougher than expected.

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LSU DT Jacobian Guillory leaves game vs. Nicholls with potentially serious leg injury

Jacobian Guillory left the game and was later spotted in a wheelchair with a cast around his leg.

One of LSU’s biggest fears was potentially realized during the first half of Saturday night’s home opener against Nicholls State.

Defensive tackle [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] limped to the sidelines after a play and entered LSU’s injury tent. When he emerged, he had a cast around his leg and was placed into a wheelchair, according to 247Sports’ Glen West.

It’s safe to assume his night is done, and while we don’t know the severity of the injury, it would be a potentially disastrous loss for the Tigers. Defensive tackle is a position without much depth as Guillory was one of just two returning players with game experience at the position.

https://twitter.com/glenwest21/status/1832570887645884480

Without him, LSU will instead have to lean heavily on transfers [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay’Viar Suggs[/autotag].

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LSU makes key change to depth chart ahead of Nicholls game

LSU makes a key update to its defensive depth chart prior to its Week 2 match vs Nicholls.

LSU football is making some adjustments after its week one loss to USC. Among those changes is an update to the depth chart at safety.

In a depth chart released prior to kickoff vs Nicholls State, [autotag]Dashawn Spears[/autotag] and [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag] as starters. [autotag]Jordan Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Jardin Gilbert[/autotag], LSU’s starting safeties in week one, are now listed with the second team.

Spears is a true freshman, but he turned heads throughout LSU’s fall camp. Head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said last month that Spears would get a chance to play in 2024, so this comes as no surprise.

According to On3, Spears was a four-star recruit and a top 100 overall player in the 2024 class.

As for Jackson, he was a four-star and top 200 recruit in the class of 2023. He played just 14 defensive snaps as a freshman in 2023 but saw eight snaps against USC.

LSU’s secondary had some struggles last week with USC taking advantage of LSU’s safeties for some big plays.

https://twitter.com/Clukehubbard/status/1832537676362178710

Don’t expect Gilbert and Allen to disappear from the rotation. Allen flashed some talent last week, making four tackles and breaking up a pass.

LSU’s conference schedule gets underway next week so the staff could be using a game against an FCS team to get some run for the young guys.

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Watch LSU TE Trey’Dez Green score first career touchdown

Trey’Dez Green delivered LSU’s first touchdown against Nicholls, which also marked the first of his Tigers career.

With LSU facing Nicholls in its home opener on Saturday night, it presented an opportunity for some young players to make an impact.

True freshman tight end [autotag]Trey’Dez Green[/autotag] saw some early snaps in the game, and he took advantage. On the Tigers’ second drive, he caught a touchdown pass on a play-action throw from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier — his first in an LSU uniform.

The Jackson, Louisiana, native was one of the top players in LSU’s 2024 class, and at 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, he’s also expected to play basketball for the Tigers.

Here’s his first career score from Saturday night’s game.

https://twitter.com/MatthewBrune_/status/1832566559380009025

LSU will hope the touchdown is the first of many for Green, who could see a bigger role as his freshman campaign goes on.

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Brian Kelly updates LSU injury report ahead of Week 2 matchup vs. Nicholls

Chris Hilton Jr. and Kyle Parker are out Saturday while Garrett Dellinger was listed as questionable.

As LSU returns home from Las Vegas, where it lost 27-20 to USC in its season-opener, coach Brian Kelly’s squad has suffered a few bumps and bruises.

Kelly updated the injury report on Thursday ahead of the Tigers’ Week 2 home opener against Nicholls on Saturday, and it looks like we’ll see the same receiving corps we saw in the second half.

Both [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], who missed the opener with a bone bruise in his ankle, and [autotag]Kyle Parker[/autotag], who started in his place but exited early with a UCL injury, are out for this week.

Kelly also listed starting left guard [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag] as questionable.

Without Hilton and Parker, LSU will likely rely heavily on players like [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag], who had a breakout performance in Week 1, and [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag] in their place. Redshirt freshman Shelton Sampson Jr. could also be poised to see increased reps.

If Dellinger can’t make the start, we could potentially see redshirt freshmen [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag] or [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] in his place.

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Staff predictions for LSU’s Week 2 home opener against Nicholls

Here’s how we see LSU’s Week 2 contest against FCS Nicholls playing out on Saturday night.

After a disappointing trip to Las Vegas to begin the year that resulted in a 27-20 loss to USC, LSU enters Week 2 looking to bounce back as it returns to Baton Rouge to kick off its home slate.

In-state foe Nicholls comes to Tiger Stadium, and the FCS foe is fresh off a hard-fought loss to Louisiana Tech in which the Colonels gave the Bulldogs all they could handle.

LSU doesn’t have much preamble before SEC play this season as it will begin its conference schedule against South Carolina next week. First, there’s an opportunity for a tune-up after a frustrating one-score loss in Week 1.

Here’s how our staff sees this one playing out.

Tyler Nettuno, Managing Editor

There were some positive signs last week when it came to [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] and the front seven, but the team also struggled in many of the ways we feared, notably running the ball and in the secondary. Nicholls shouldn’t provide anywhere close to that kind of challenge, however, and while I’m skeptical LSU can compete for an SEC title, it’s not going to have any issues in this one.

Prediction: LSU 55, Nicholls 10

Will Rosenblatt, Staff Writer

For a fourth-straight year, LSU returns home after a Week 1 loss hoping to figure it out against an FCS opponent. This serves as an opportunity for LSU to exercise some of those week one frustrations. The offensive line will be fired up after a rough week one and Nussmeier will be locked in for his first Tiger Stadium start. Nicholls is a ranked FCS team but shouldn’t be much of a challenge for LSU.

Prediction: LSU 52, Nicholls 14

Kyle Richardson, Staff Writer

I think the Tigers bounce back in a huge way this week. The offense will look unstoppable and the defense will shut the Colonels offense down.

Prediction: LSU 63, Nicholls 7

Composite Prediction

Prediction: LSU 57, Nicholls 10

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