Stops when they mattered. That was the name of the game for the Tiger defense on Saturday against South Carolina. And that’s exactly what No. 11 LSU got.
Yes, the Tigers gave up yardage. But LSU finished with 5 sacks (a season-high) and 2 takeaways, did not allow a single red zone trip, and knocked off the Gamecocks for a 20-10 win.
The victory moved the Tigers to 5-1 on the season and 2-1 in SEC play.
The offense cleared 400 yards. Quarterback Garrett Nusmeier threw for 2 scores and found a new connection with tight end Trey’Dez Green, who caught 8 passes for 119 yards.
But it wasn’t a clean game from the offense. The Tigers gave the football away 3 times. Nussmeier threw 2 interceptions and almost fumbled the ball away in the final 2 minutes. The Tigers got just 1 touchdown out of 5 red zone trips.
Instead, the defense did what it has done all season. It gave the offense enough margin for error. West Weeks had 9 tackles. Harold Perkins Jr. had 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack. Whit Weeks had 7 tackles and a sack.
The Gamecocks’ only touchdown of the game came off a 72-yard run from Matt Fuller. They converted 6 of their 16 third-down attempts and were denied on both of their fourth-down tries.
LSU will head to Nashville next week to face Vanderbilt. South Carolina hosts Oklahoma.
LSU 20, South Carolina 10
Here’s the LSU-South Carolina box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Garrett Nussmeier vs LaNorris Sellers
A statistical breakdown of how LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier played compared to South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
