By GLENN GUILBEAU
Tiger Rag Editor
LAS VEGAS – LSU Lost Vegas.
A reinvigorated and improved Tigers’ defense from last season held USC to just 13 points into the fourth quarter, but fell apart down the stretch. And the No. 23 Trojans upset No. 13 and 4.5-point favorite LSU, 27-20, in front of 65,000 at Allegiant Stadium Sunday night.
The loss ruined a stellar season debut by new LSU starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who completed 29 of 38 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns before a late interception when it was already over for the most part.
USC’s new starting quarterback Miller Moss outdueled Nussmeier in the end, completing 27 of 36 for 378 yards and a touchdown. And LSU (0-1) lost its fifth straight season opening game to tie the school record set from 1991-95 with the last three of those by present coach Brian Kelly.
After LSU tied the game 20-20 on a 31-yard field goal by Damian Ross with 1:47 remaining, USC would not be denied. Moss drove the Trojans (1-0) 75 yards in eight plays in just 99 seconds, shredding the defense of new and much ballyhooed coordinator Blake Baker. Tailback Woody Marks scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 13-yard run right up the middle – an area that plagued LSU last season and at critical points in this game.
USC finished with 447 yards to 421 by LSU. Marks finished with 68 yards on 16 carries.
Facing a 3rd and 4 from his 31-yard line and trailing 20-17 with under four minutes to play, Nussmeier delivered with a 41-yard completion to wide receiver Aaron Anderson to the Trojans’ 28-yard line. Anderson was a block away from scoring, but didn’t wait for it or get it. The Tigers reached the 13-yard line, but had to settle for Ramos’ field goal.
USC had taken a 20-17 with 5:44 left on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Moss to wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane. That completed a 64-yard drive in only three plays as LSU’s defense fell apart when it counted – much like last year. USC quick gashed Baker’s defense on that drive with a 16-yard run and a 20-yard completion on the other two plays.
LSU’s defense had been playing better, and the Tigers took their first lead of the game with 3:42 left in the third quarter at 17-13 on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier to Anderson, converting a 3rd-and-4.
But the drive belonged to sixth-year senior tailback John Emery Jr., who carried three times for 52 yards to set up the TD. He exploded for a 39-yard run up the middle to give LSU a first down at the USC 29-yard line. Emery finished with 61 yards on 10 carries.
The defense made a key stop to force a USC punt from deep inside its own territory late in the third quarter. And LSU thwarted another drive inside its 35-yard line at the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter. USC went for it on 4th and 9 from the Tigers’ 36, and defensive end Sai’vion Jones deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage.
LSU took over with 8:38 to play, but couldn’t move and blew a chance to perhaps put the game away. USC took over for what would be its go-ahead touchdown drive.
A pass interference call against true freshman cornerback PJ Woodland proved critical in the Trojans taking a 13-10 lead at the 7:13 mark of the third quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Michael Lantz. USC had faced a 3rd-and-8 at the Tigers’ 38-yard line when Woodland basically blocked wide receiver Kyron Hudson from the ball. That turned into a first down at the LSU 19.
Woodland was in the game for starting cornerback Sage Ryan, who is newly converted from safety. A pass interference call against Ryan in the second quarter aided the Trojans’ first TD drive for a 7-0 lead. LSU’s defense stiffened though as Jones sacked Moss for the second time. This one was for four yards on a 3rd-and-5 play from the 14.
LSU was a step away from enjoying a 14-10 lead at halftime. Then again, it was fortunate it did not trail 13-10 at the break.
Nussmeier was sharp as a mid-season, two-year starter, rather than a starter in just his second career college game. The redshirt junior hit 20-of-24 passes for 191 yards with a 19-yard touchdown to wide receiver Kyren Lacy midway through the second quarter for a 7-7 tie. He would have been 21 of 24, but tight end Mason Taylor dropped a pass wide open in the middle of the field.
One of Nussmeier’s only mistakes was allowing a delay of game penalty to happen after USC went up 7-0 in the second quarter.
Lacy’s acrobatic, leaping touchdown catch and expert balance to get a foot just inside the out of bounds line could have given the Tigers a 14-7 lead with similar footwork earlier.
Nussmeier completed 7 of 9 passes as the Tigers took the opening drive 74 yards in 13 plays with Lacy catching four for 42 yards On 2nd-and-goal at the 9-yard line, Nussmeier found Lacy in the end zone, but Lacy didn’t quite get a foot in by just inches. It looked like he was unsure where the out of bounds was. Lacy finished the half with seven catches for 94 yards.
On 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Kelly gambled and lost. USC blitzed, forcing Nussmeier to hurl a desperation pass that fell incomplete.
Amazingly, the score stood knotted at 0-0 after the first quarter despite a 66.5 over-under. USC took a 7-0 lead on an 87-yard drive in eight plays, but it got help on a pass interference call against LSU cornerback Sage Ryan on first-and-10 from the LSU 17 that put the Trojans on the 2-yard line.
Moss, also a red-shirt junior starting for just the second time like Nussmeier, was sharp too. He completed 13 of 15 passes in the first half for 176 yards and hit 4-of-4 passes for 64 yards before the pass interference call. So the close call on Ryan probably was not needed.
USC went up 10-7 on a 22-yard field goal by Lantz with 4:21 left in the first half. Ramos answered that with a 45-yard field goal to tie it at 10-10 with 1:08 to go.
That was still enough time for USC to shred LSU’s defense for 63 yards in nine plays, but Lantz missed a 29-yard field goal as the half expired.
A missed field goal, yes, but in the end that drive foreshadowed LSU’s ultimate doom, as its defense faltered at the worst time.
LSU returns home to host Nicholls State next Saturday before opening Southeastern Conference play at South Carolina (1-0) on Sept. 14.
USC hosts Utah State next week before opening its first season in the Big Ten at defending national champion Michigan (1-0) on Sept. 21 following an open date.
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