Baton Rouge, La. — Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier set a personal best with 409 passing yards, while Caden Durham contributed 217 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns as No. 14 LSU racked up a season-high 667 yards of offense in a decisive 42-10 victory over South Alabama on Saturday night.
Durham kicked off the scoring by catching a swing pass from Nussmeier and sprinting 71 yards for a touchdown on the first play. He then made an impressive 86-yard run to the 1-yard line, followed by an 8-yard touchdown run, helping LSU (4-1) jump to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.
Nussmeier added a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter and a 5-yarder in the second before throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Anderson, extending LSU’s lead to 35-3 at halftime.
“(Offensive coordinator) Joe Sloan always emphasizes starting fast,” Nussmeier said. “I don’t know if we expected to start that quickly, but Caden made some outstanding plays.”
Completing 26 of 39 passes, Nussmeier led a balanced attack, while freshman Durham totaled 128 rushing yards and 89 receiving yards on just 10 touches. Kyren Lacy also shone, catching five passes for 107 yards as 11 different players recorded at least one reception.
“Clearly, we had a great offensive performance tonight,” LSU coach Brian Kelly stated. “Over 660 total yards is impressive. Nussmeier, the receivers, and Durham all delivered high-level performances.”
In their first game without preseason All-American linebacker Harold Perkins, who was lost for the season due to a knee injury, LSU received strong defensive efforts from linebackers Greg Penn and Whit Weeks, who recorded 14 and 9 tackles, respectively.
South Alabama (2-3) managed to get on the board early in the second quarter with a 49-yard field goal from Laith Marjan, making it 21-3. The Jaguars’ sole touchdown came on their first possession of the third quarter, with Gio Lopez connecting with Anthony Eager for a 27-yard score.
Lopez finished the night 16 of 22 for 171 yards and added 33 rushing yards, while Eager caught four passes for 91 yards.
“Other than that one drive in the third quarter, I thought we played well defensively,” Kelly commented. “We need to tighten up a few areas, but South Alabama is a top 15 offense nationally. We’ve shown improvement over the last five weeks.”
Poll Implications:
With No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Ole Miss both losing on Saturday, No. 14 LSU could see a slight rise in the AP Top 25 rankings next week.
UP NEXT:
LSU: After an off week, will play Ole Miss on Oct. 12 at home.
South Alabama: Travels to Arkansas State on Saturday.
