BATON ROUGE, La. — In a spectacular display of offense, No. 14 LSU thrashed South Alabama 42-10 on Saturday night, owing to quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s career-high 409 passing yards and running back Caden Durham’s phenomenal performance, which yielded 217 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
The tone was set early as Durham sprinted onto the scene, snagging a 71-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier on the game’s very first offensive play. Durham followed up this feat with an electrifying 86-yard run that paved the way for another score, later capping off his impressive night with an 8-yard rushing touchdown. This blistering start propelled LSU (4-1) to a commanding 21-0 lead.
Nussmeier, too, played very well, scoring two rushing touchdowns to complement his impressive passing stats. He would, however, like to have two passes he threw back (two interceptions, one in each half). Wide receiver Aaron Anderson joined the fray, reeling in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier to hand LSU a formidable 35-3 halftime advantage.
The night’s statistics painted a vivid picture of LSU’s offensive prowess: Nussmeier completed 26 of 39 passes, while Durham racked up 128 rushing yards and 89 receiving yards from a mere 10 touches. Wide receiver Kyren Lacy also had a breakout night, hauling in five catches for 107 yards as LSU’s offense dispersed the ball to 11 different players.
Despite the earlier loss of preseason All-American linebacker Harold Perkins to a season-ending knee injury, LSU’s defense received a boost from linebackers Greg Penn (14 tackles) and Whit Weeks (nine tackles), who stepped up to fill the void.
South Alabama (2-3) managed to dent LSU’s armor early in the second quarter, courtesy of Laith Marjan’s field goal, which trimmed the deficit to 21-3. Their lone touchdown of the night materialized in the third quarter when quarterback Gio Lopez connected with wide receiver Anthony Eager for a 27-yard score. Lopez wrapped up the game with 171 passing yards and an additional 33 yards on the ground, while Eager contributed four catches for 91 yards.
Poll implications
Despite No. 6 Ole Miss’s earlier defeat, No. 14 LSU is unlikely to experience a significant surge in the AP Top 25 rankings next week.
The Big Takeaways
After stumbling out of the gate in their first four games, LSU finally found their rhythm against South Alabama. The Tigers outgained the Jaguars by over 300 yards and averaged an impressive 13 yards per play in the first half, laying the groundwork for a dominant performance.
Playing without star linebacker Harold Perkin’s who was lost last week for the season against UCLA, LSU’s defense throttled a potent South Alabama offense and appeared to grow up significantly. Greg Penn III, Whit Weeks and Major Burns had exceptional games for the Tigers.
Up next
LSU will enjoy an off week before hosting Ole Miss on Oct. 12.
Coach Brian Kelly’s post-game assessment was one of satisfaction: “Much closer to what we’re looking for. Fast start, big plays. I thought the third quarter wasn’t our best quarter, but the guys leaned into it in the fourth quarter, and I thought it was our best game all season.”
Kelly also sang the praises of Durham, underscoring the transformative impact of his running ability on LSU’s offense. “The ability to run the football changes things. When you have the ability to run the football, it changes things,” Kelly emphasized. “Caden, he is just so fast. God-given ability. He just runs away from everybody.”
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