The LSU Tigers defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 20-10 in Week 7 of the 2025 college football season. Brian Kelly‘s team, coming off a bye, ran the ball better than it had all season, averaging 6.0 yards per carry in the win. The game-deciding play, though, came through the air, courtesy of Garrett Nussmeier’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Parker.
Parker’s impressive catch-and-run gave the Tigers a 17-10 lead late in the third quarter. On Tuesday, head coach Brian Kelly broke down the scoring grab in his film room. He credited Nussmeier’s ability to read coverage, and Parker taking advantage of his defender’s leverage, for the long touchdown.
“Everybody’s matched up here in man-to-man, and [Garrett Nussmeier] knows exactly what he’s looking for,” Kelly said. “[Kyle Parker] has an option route here. If this DB is gonna work outside, he’ll cut it inside… hits the quick slant, and then Parker’s got great speed… really well-executed play.”
LSU still has yet to surpass 20 points against an FBS opponent this season, but its offense had signs of life versus the Gamecocks. The Tigers’ rushing attack did not average more than 3.9 yards per carry in a single game before their Week 6 bye. Coming out of that off week with a run game, to alleviate pressure from Nussmeier, is critical to their rest-of-season success. We’ll see if that was an aberration or a real development when LSU travels to Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff for that matchup is set for noon ET (ABC).
