Instant Takeaways: No. 16 LSU Takes Down South Carolina 36-33 in Instant Classic

Brian Kelly and Co. escape the upset in Columbia, take down the Gamecocks in a thriller.

Brian Kelly and the No. 16 ranked LSU Tigers survived an upset scare in Columbia after battling back to take down the South Carolina Gamecocks 36-33 in the SEC opener.

After going down 17-0 in the second quarter, the Bayou Bengals fought until the clock hit zero to escape with a critical conference victory.

It was the Tigers' defense that came alive in the second half with edge rusher Bradyn Swinson piecing together arguably the best game of his career to lead LSU.

The Instant Takeaways:

South Carolina Carves LSU on the Ground

Gamecocks running back Raheim Sanders shined on Saturday on the ground after leading South Carolina’s rushing attack. LSU allowed 243 rushing yards with Sanders leading the way with 143 of his own. 

The Bayou Bengals lost defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory for the remainder of the 2024 season after he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 2 against Nicholls and it was evident his presence was missed against South Carolina.

LSU rotated in a handful of interior defensive lineman with the Gamecocks taking advantage of the inexperienced players up front. 

South Carolina ended the game with 398 total yards of offense led by the rushing attack of Sanders and signal-caller LaNorris Sellers (88 yards). 

Once Sellers went down with a lower-leg injury at the end of the first half, it was Auburn transfer Robbie Ashford who stepped in to lead the charge at quarterback.

The Numbers: 
- Sellers - 9/16 with 113 yards and one interception.
- Ashford - 2/4 with 42 yards.

The Caden Durham Breakout Game

True freshman running back Caden Durham has arrived for the Tigers after answering the call against the Gamecocks in Week 3.

With veteran John Emery out for the season with a torn ACL, the program was in need of a youngster to step up and take on an expanded role. Defensive back turned running back Ju’Juan Johnson shined in Week 2, but it’s clear Durham is going to be an integral piece to the offense moving forward.

The youngster tallied 98 rushing yards with a pair of scores on just 11 rushing attempts. The former four-star, Top 10 running back in America lived up to the hype against South Carolina after giving the program life on the ground.

Durham did it all for the Tigers in the run-game. With Josh Williams and Kaleb Jackson unable to get things going after totaling just 47 yards between the two, it was the first-year Tiger who picked up the slack.

Take a bow, Caden Durham.

The true freshman RB shined in his SEC debut for the Bayou Bengals:

11 carries, 98 yards + 2 TD on 8.9 YPC

Brian Kelly: "You’ve got to make people miss. You’ve got to break through tackles. He did a great job today."

Durham has arrived for #LSU. pic.twitter.com/shKGPMEPKC

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) September 14, 2024

Inefficiency in the Red Zone, Missed Opportunities 

The glaring takeaway in Week 3 was the missed opportunities in the red zone for the Bayou Bengals. It was the defense who handled business in the second half after presenting scoring chances for the offense, but inefficiency plagued the unit.

It’s been a thorn in the program’s side throughout the first three weeks of the season. LSU has simply been unable to convert inside the red zone and it was on full display against the Gamecocks in Week 3.

Time and time again, it was the Tigers’ defense providing opportunities via turnovers for the offense to punch in easy scores. After forcing a pair of fumbles in the second half, LSU came up with just three points on those opportunities.

LSU ultimately went a respectable 5-for-7 on red zone trips, but the gifted opportunities inside the 15-yard line after the defensive forced two fumbles quickly plagued any chances to break open a sizable lead. 

For the Tigers, it was edge rusher Bradyn Swinson who paved the way on Saturday afternoon in Columbia after tallying a handful of tackles with three sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. He was phenomenal for the Tigers in Week 3 to lift LSU to a pivotal SEC victory.

Now, LSU gets above .500 after the victory to reach 2-1 on the season. The Tigers will gear up for the UCLA Bruins in Week 4 in Tiger Stadium with an afternoon kickoff slated for next Saturday.

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