Tale of Two Halves: LSU Football Handles Business in 44-21 Victory Over Nicholls

The Tigers get the job done late, handle business against in-state foe Nicholls State.

BATON ROUGE – Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier passed for a career-high six touchdowns and 378 yards through the air as No. 18 LSU rolled past Nicholls on Saturday night, 44-21.

Nussmeier joined Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels as the only Tiger quarterback to throw six or more touchdown passes in a single game.

The Tigers got on the board early in unconventional fashion as an errant snap on 4th-and-5 forced Nicholls’ punter to kick the ball into the back of the end zone, giving LSU a 2-0 lead with 11:15 to play.

On the subsequent punt, junior receiver Zavion Thomas put the Tigers in business with an electric 51-yard return to the Nicholls 27. 

LSU would cash in on the mistake on 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line, when Nussmeier worked a play-action pass to freshman tight end Trey’Dez Green in the back of the end zone for the score to give the Tigers a 9-0 advantage at the 7:51 mark.

After driving deep into LSU territory, the Colonel drive would end in points, as Collin Guggenheim rushed for a 2-yard score with 30 seconds left in the quarter, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 9-7. The drive spanned 84 yards on 14 plays.

On 1st-and-10 from just outside the red zone, Nussmeier found junior receiver Kyren Lacy, who ran for a 27-yard touchdown, hurdling a Nicholls defender as he crossed the goal line. Lacy’s score put the Tigers back up 16-7 with 12:17 to play in the half.

The Colonels would not go away. On 2nd-and-6 from the LSU 18, Nicholls ran a flea flicker as junior receiver Quincy Brown found senior tight end Lee Negrotto for a 18-yard touchdown connection, making it 16-14 Tigers with 4:16 left in the half.

Nussmeier found CJ Daniels for a 34-yard reception, moving the ball down to the Nicholls 30-yard line. On the next play, Nussmeier went to Aaron Anderson for a 26 yard completion, putting the Tigers in prime position at the NSU 4.

Out of a timeout, Nussmeier found Ju’Juan Johnson – a former defensive back converted into a running back – for a for a 4-yard touchdown score, putting the Tigers up 23-14 at the 1:53 mark. The LSU offense went 75 yards on five plays, spanning two minutes and 25 seconds.

With three seconds to play in the half, Damien Ramos’ 39-yard attempt was no good. LSU took a 23-14 lead into the locker room.

The Colonels opened the second half with a bang as quarterback Collin Guggenheim broke open a 67-yard touchdown run over the middle of the field, cutting the LSU lead to 23-21 with 13:52 to play in the third quarter. 

Lacy, the Thibodaux native, caught a 6-yard touchdown pass with 9:03 remaining in the quarter, extending the Tiger lead to 30-21. It capped off an 11 play drive that spanned 72 yards and four minutes and 44 seconds.

The LSU defense forced their first turnover as Guggenheim’s pass to Brown was complete, but lost possession after Woodland forced and recovered the fumble. The offense took over at the LSU 41.

The Tigers would take advantage of the mistake quickly as Nussmeier found Lacy for a 13-yard connection, bringing the ball down to the NSU 28. Two plays later, Nussmeier found Thomas for a 17-yard pickup, bringing the ball down to the Colonel 11. 

On 2nd-and-6 from the NSU 7, Nussmeier then found Lacy for a touchdown in the back of the end zone with 6:43 to play in the quarter, extending the lead to 37-21. It marked a third touchdown reception for Lacy and a career-high fifth touchdown pass for Nussmeier.

The Tigers created some real separation with 1:14 to play after Nussmeier pitched the ball forward to Thomas, who ran it into the end zone for a 4-yard score. LSU led Nicholls 44-21 heading into the final quarter of play.

LSU returns to action next Saturday at 11 a.m. against South Carolina, kicking off SEC play on the road in Columbia.

Brian Kelly opening statement…

“I want to start out by saying how impressed I was with Nicholls State. You could tell how much it meant to them to play in Tiger Stadium, to play LSU. They were physical, they controlled the clock, and made it a great football game. I’m happy we won the football game, but certainly there are a lot of areas where we have to do better.”

Kelly on Zavion Thomas in return game…

“His presence back there allows us better field position. We struggled the last couple years. He’s been abe to get us great field position. He’s a weapon for us. That’s what we were looking for when we went into the portal, somebody that could do that. He’s been an important part of our special teams.”

Kelly on Nussmeier…

“Garrett is a really effective and efficient thrower of the football. We saw tonight that, when he gets the opportunity, he can run the football for us. He’s very athletic, he can certainly do that. He’s nowhere near any of the issues that we have.”

*Via LSU Release*