Credit: Michael Bacigalupi
By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY
Two sloppy offensive football teams played a sloppy offensive football game.
The sloppy offense with Trey’Dez Green won it.
The sophomore Tiger tight end posted career bests with eight catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. His third came on a jump ball that he easily skied to nab in the endzone to start the scoring. His eighth came on a leaping grab inside the five yardline to set up the field goal that iced the game, 20-10.
South Carolina and LSU entered Tiger Stadium on Saturday night as the 13th and 14th ranked SEC teams in total offense. LSU’s defense routinely swarmed South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers, sacking him five times and forcing him to run for his life much of the night. On the other side, the Tigers turned the ball over twice inside the South Carolina five and settled for a late 22-yard field goal. That turned 421 yards of offense into just 20 points.
Garrett Nussmeier did not play sharply. He threw two bad interceptions and slightly underthrew a potential home run shot to Chris Hilton that was dropped. He made some throws, too. But this team is going to need him to be better.
LSU’s defense deserves credit. The Tigers sent pressure at a patchwork Gamecock offensive front all night. When plays needed to be made, they were. Mansoor Delane’s breakup of a fourth and four hitch route with just under six minutes to play in a seven-point game was an exceptional play by a guy who is working his way toward the first round of the NFL Draft.
After a 72-yard thunderbolt of a touchdown run by Carolina’s Matt Fuller with less than a minute to play in the first quarter, South Carolina only mustered three more points.
This Tiger team is built on the back of its defense, and that unit answered the bell again. It’s going to be tough to win games forcing the defense to allow a touchdown or less, but that group managed to do it against Clemson, Florida and South Carolina in wins.
LSU is 5-1 and 2-1 in league play with a trip to Vanderbilt upcoming.
THE STATS
LSU outgained South Carolina 420-317.
LSU sacked Sellers five times and hurried him five more. Garrett Nussmeier was not sacked.
Sellers was 15-for-27 (56%) for 124 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
AJ Haulcy led LSU with 11 tackles.
Kyle Parker, getting reps with Aaron Anderson out, had five catches for 75 yards and a 43-yard touchdown.
LSU ran the ball 30 times for 166 yards, 5.5 yards per carry.
Nussmeier was 20-for-33 (61%) for 254 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
South Carolina had 13 penalties for 54 yards. LSU was only penalized five times.
South Carolina did not run a play in the LSU red zone.
THE PLAYS
LSU quickly went three and out to start the game, but the Tiger defense made a play on its first snap. LaNorris Sellers mishandled the under center snap, and Patrick Payton fell on it at the South Carolina 17.
LSU couldn’t get a first down. Damian Ramos was good from 28 yards. 3-0 LSU.
South Carolina moved down into LSU territory and missed a 47-yard attempt wide right.
LSU marched down inside the two and handed to Ju’Juan Johnson. He lunged for the endzone, and the ball was jarred loose inside the one yardline. South Carolina fell on it in the endzone for a touchback.
Two plays later, Matthew Fuller went 72 yards for a score to give the Gamecocks the lead. 7-3 USC.
Trey’Dez Green got involved in a big way on LSU’s next drive. He had a 14-yard catch and run into the red zone and scored on a 6-yard fade pass that was perfectly placed by Nussmeier to the 6-foot-7 Green. 10-7 Tigers.
LSU picked Sellers off for their first forced turnover of the game. Nussmeier gave it right back with a sailing throw on third and long. It was picked at the South Carolina 25 with 2:14 left in the half.
William Joyce made a 47-yard field goal to tie the score with 8:39 left in the third.
On 1st and 20 following a holding, Nussmeier hit Kyle Parker over the middle, and Parker took it the distance. 43 yards. 17-10 LSU with 6:38 left in the third.
South Carolina tried a fake punt with just over five minutes left in the third quarter, but they were penalized for illegal procedure pre-snap.
Nussmeier kept for a 23-yard run on third and 6. One snap later Ju’Juan Johnson took it 56 yards down to the USC 11 yard line.
Nussmeier went back to the well one too many times. He fired for Green on a slant, and it was intercepted at the one by Peyton Williams. The Tigers’ chance to pad a seven-point lead was thwarted.
On 4th and 4 from the LSU 37 with just under 6:00 to play in the game, Mike Shula dialed up a hitch in the direction of Mansoor Delane. The Tiger corner broke it up to turn the ball over on downs.
Ramos made a 22-yarder to put the Tigers up 20-10 with 1:48 left.
More LSU Sports
