BATON ROUGE, La. — No. 14 LSU gained 157 yards on its first three offensive snaps and built a 14-0 lead in less than five minutes on the way to a 42-10 victory over South Alabama on Saturday.
Running back Caden Durham accounted for 217 yards from scrimmage for the Tigers, who improved to 4-1. South Alabama completed its nonconference schedule with the loss.
Fast Start for the Tigers
On the first play of the game, Garrett Nussmeier threw a swing pass to Durham, who turned it into a 71-yard touchdown. After a South Alabama punt, Durham broke an 86-yard run before being tackled at the 1-yard line, and Nussmeier followed his offensive line into the end zone for a 14-0 lead.
“Obviously, we just started very poorly,” South Alabama head coach Major Applewhite said. “Defensively we gave up two huge plays. We had a touchdown and an explosive play to the one-inch line. We have to look at ourselves as coaches and figure out how we can prepare our guys differently to give them a better opportunity to win. Give credit to LSU. They are a great football program.”
Durham added an 8-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter to make it 21-0.
Jaguars Answer After Halftime
Laith Marjan put South Alabama on the board early in the second quarter with a 49-yard field goal that cleared the crossbar. LSU scored twice more before halftime to lead 35-3 at the break.
South Alabama opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive. Gio Lopez finished it with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Eager in the right side of the end zone.
“Don’t give up,” Eager said. “Even though we struggled at the start, we came out in the second half swinging and that energy is what we need to beat any other team in the Sun Belt.”
The Jaguars had a chance for another touchdown in the third quarter, facing fourth-and-goal from the 4. Lopez dropped back and then ran up the middle, but he was stopped at the 1-yard line.
LSU scored the game’s final points with 14:08 remaining, capping a 12-play, 99-yard drive.
Takeaways and Ball Security
South Alabama did not commit a turnover and came up with two interceptions. Lardarius Webb Jr. intercepted a pass late in the second quarter, and Jaden Voisin picked off another near the 5-yard line in the third quarter to stop an LSU scoring chance.
“As a team, it was good to see that we came out in the second half and show that we can play with these guys and give them three-and-outs, but at the end of the day it was too late,” Voisin said. “I think we need to grow from that. I think we need to play like we did in the second half, the whole game, and just build from that.”
Statistics
- Gio Lopez: 16-of-22, 171 yards, 1 TD; 10 carries, 33 yards; sacked three times
- Bishop Davenport: 4-of-8, 50 yards
- Anthony Eager: 4 catches, 91 yards, 1 TD
- Jamaal Pritchett: 3 catches, 40 yards
- Kentrel Bullock: 9 carries, 56 yards
- Fluff Bothwell: 10 carries, 17 yards
- Amarion Fortenberry: 10 tackles (8 solo), 2 pass breakups
For LSU, Nussmeier completed 26 of 39 passes for 409 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Kyren Lacy caught five passes for 107 yards. Durham had three receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown and led all rushers with 128 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
Up Next: Arkansas State
South Alabama now turns to Sun Belt Conference play. The Jaguars conclude a three-game road trip at Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Ark., on Saturday, Oct. 5. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
