COLUMBIA, S.C. — Before LSU came back to beat South Carolina 36-33, coach Brian Kelly talked to the players about a pivotal moment two weeks earlier.
The Tigers almost won Week 1 against Southern Cal, but they had not made enough plays in the second half of a 27-20 season-opening loss. Kelly slammed his fist during his postgame press conference that night as he discussed another game in which his team had not put away an opponent.
Kelly brought that up with LSU’s players before they went to Williams-Brice Stadium for their first Southeastern Conference game, trying to get them to finish in the second half.
“We had an opportunity to win the game, and we gave it up,” senior running back Josh Williams said of Kelly’s message. “Going into this situation, we wanted to finish the game strong. We didn’t want to give it away at the last minute or have the chance to win and not win. We wanted to make sure we won the game. It was a great message, and it got us going.”
As LSU took over with 3:49 remaining Saturday, it trailed South Carolina 33-29. The Tigers had turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter. Kelly reminded the players they needed to finish strong, Williams said, referencing what happened against Southern Cal.
“It was a good message from Coach Kelly on the sideline telling us that this is it,” Williams said. “This is what we fight for. We knew we had to go out there and win it.”
The possession started with a 10-yard carry by freshman Caden Durham, who finished with 98 yards and two touchdowns in his SEC debut. An offsides penalty on fourth down extended the drive. Then, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw a 29-yard pass to senior wide receiver Kyren Lacy, putting LSU on the 4-yard line.
Nussmeier threw across his body on first down, nearly getting intercepted. After an offsides penalty pushed LSU to the 2-yard line, it planned to throw one more time, then run the ball twice. If it ended up in a short fourth down, Kelly said LSU would have probably called a “quarterback sneak or something like that.”
Another incompletion brought up third and goal. Then wide receiver Zavion Thomas motioned across the formation, drawing attention, and Williams took a handoff.
“Making them cover (Thomas) or respect his motion opened up the box a little bit more and gave me the opportunity to get in there,” Williams said.
The left side of the offensive line opened a hole, and Williams reached the end zone, giving LSU a 36-33 lead with 1:12 remaining. South Carolina kicker Alex Herrera missed a 49-yard field goal as time expired.
Though LSU has struggled to consistently run the ball this season, the offensive line created space in a critical moment. Nussmeier intentionally wore a custom “Bomb Squad” T-shirt with pictures of his offensive linemen on it after the game, referencing a nickname for the unit.
“We’ve got full belief in them,” Nussmeier said. “We need 2 yards to win a football game. I think most people know what we’re going to do. We’re going to give those guys a chance. They knew we were going to run it. We knew we were going to run it. Let’s see who can out physical the other, and I’m taking those guys any day of the week.”
LSU had struggled in the red zone until that point. It settled for a field goal in the first half after safety Sage Ryan forced a fumble at South Carolina’s 19-yard line. Later, the Tigers faced first and goal from the 2 on their opening possession of the second half.
Trailing 24-16, running back Kaleb Jackson was tackled for a 1-yard loss. LSU then called two straight runs from a T-formation with freshman defensive end Gabriel Reliford playing fullback. Williams picked up 2 yards, then got tackled for no gain.
LSU stayed in the formation on fourth down. Nussmeier got tripped while dropping back on a play-action, forcing an errant throw, and LSU turned the ball over on downs.
“We want that to be our blue zone, short yardage (formation) and we just didn’t execute,” Kelly said. “We were a little late on some of our blocks. We got some penetration. Nuss got knocked off on that fourth down.
“If we’re just a little bit more aggressive with our blocks, he’s got Josh in the corner of the end zone. It’s timing. It’s just being a little bit better at those plays, and we would have been really good in that blue zone.”
Issues continued inside the 20-yard line, nearly costing LSU the game. Not long after senior defensive end Bradyn Swinson caused another fumble deep in South Carolina territory in the fourth quarter, Nussmeier threw an interception. But then LSU’s defense forced a punt, giving the offense another chance that it did not miss.
LSU finished 5 of 7 in the red zone, an area where it also struggled against Southern Cal. Nussmeier acknowledged finishing in the red zone “has been one of our weaknesses,” but LSU scored at the end against South Carolina, showing the resolve that Kelly wanted to see in another close game.
“I think this defines who we are as a team,” Nussmeier said. “For us to be able to come here and push through in a dog fight like that, I think it’s huge for our team. And I think it speaks to the identity and the character that we have. It is Week 3. We’re only going to continue to get better.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-14 12:41:00
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