LSU Football vs. USC Trojans: The Good, Bad and Ugly from Week 1

The Bayou Bengals crumbled in crunch time, drop the program's fifth consecutive season opener.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers dropped a thriller in Las Vegas with the USC Trojans coming out on top 27-20 in Allegiant Stadium.

For the Bayou Bengals, the program has now dropped its fifth consecutive season opener after Sunday's loss.

What positive takeaways are there? What was most concerning from Kelly's group?

The Good, Bad and Ugly: Week 1 Edition

The Good: Garrett Nussmeier-Kyren Lacy Connection

LSU redshirt-junior signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier was passed the torch this offseason after Heisman winner Jayden Daniels gave him the keys to the offense. On Sunday, he looked like the next great out of Baton Rouge.

Nussmeier ended the day going 29-for-38 through the air with 304 yards and two touchdowns in his second career start.

It was simply a surgical performance from the veteran quarterback. He's patiently waited his turn to showcase his talents with Week 1 against USC providing him the opportunity. Nussmeier took Sunday by storm after showcasing his growing decision making.

“He did some really good things. He did enough for us to win the football game, but when we needed a couple plays, I think he would’ve liked a couple back. He’s going to be really good for us, and he’ll get better from today," Kelly said following Sunday's loss.

He's been labeled a "gunslinger" at times, but the narrative quickly changed against the Trojans after proving his consistency is growing rapidly.

There was rapport between Nussmeier and Kyren Lacy from start to finish.

For Lacy, he broke his career-high of seven receptions in just the first half with Nussmeier going to his WR1 from the jump. He ended the day with seven catches for 94 yards and 1 touchdown.

LSU tight end Mason Taylor proved he'd become a reliable weapon for Nussmeier during Fall Camp. The connection grew last month and it carried into Week 1 against USC after Taylor ended the day with seven receptions for 62 yards on Sunday.

All in all, it was a massive day for Nussmeier after carving the USC defense from start to finish and displaying why many believe he has next for the Bayou Bengals.

A few takeaways from Week 1:

- G. Nussmeier was surgical. Impressive when his number was called. Nuss + K. Lacy will be elite.
- Sai’vion Jones is taking that next step as shown in Fall Camp.
- PJ Woodland needs the green light.
- Penalties + red zone inefficiency plagued #LSU. pic.twitter.com/qkG7RZ11mG

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) September 2, 2024

The Bad: Inconsistency on Defense

It was a new-look defense that the Tigers were hoping to see in 2024. There were certainly hiccups along the way in the secondary, but there was improvement shown from Blake Baker's unit.

The blitz packages were on full display, but ultimately it was USC signal-caller Miller Moss who made the most of his chances and carved the defense. He was surgical with 381 yards through the air on 27-of-36 passing.

There were positive flashes from Baker's group and a sense that the defense can certainly continue improving, but changes in the secondary as a must.

Will LSU give true freshman cornerback PJ Woodland the green light and give him the nod over Sage Ryan moving forward? What about Jardin Gilbert at safety?

There will be a few changes made to put this group in position to be successful moving forward.

A positive takeaway is the front seven looked much improved. The interior defensive line showed flashes while Sai'vion Jones was elite out the outside. He ended the day with two sacks, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. The growth is substantial here for Jones.

The Ugly: Abandoning the Passing Attack, Red Zone Inefficiency

LSU was inside the 15-yard line three times on Sunday night; coming away with only six points in those opportunities.

It's evident the Tigers' inefficiency in the red zone halted any immediate success with the program leaving double-digit points on the board and Kelly alluded to that in his postgame press conference.

"If you don't score points when you're down inside the red zone like we did tonight, you're going to lose a one-possession game. We put way too much pressure on our defense to be something they're not ready to be," Kelly said. "We have warts and they're not going away overnight. Our offense needed to be better because we needed to score on those possessions."

The other major takeaway was the lack of discipline on both sides of the ball. LSU racked up significant yardage on penalties with the Tigers looking lost at times.

"The thing that's most concerning for me is the personal fouls. The penalties that are selfish. Both of them led to scores. They're undisciplined penalties and effectively they fall back on me," Kelly said. "We take pride in running a disciplined program, but we have clearly not done a good enough job there because it impacted the game."

No. 13 LSU will host Nicholls State in the home opener next Saturday with the program looking to bounce back against an inferior in-state opponent.

More LSU News:

LSU vs. USC: The Early Betting Lines for Week 1

LSU Inching Towards No. 1 Recruiting Class in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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