LSU Tigers Win in Battle of Bayou Versus Bengals, Defeat Colonels 44-21

9/7/2024

Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes

Da Boot Sports
9/7/2024
By: Jason Watson Jr.

Baton Rouge, LA- In front of a crowd of 100,242, the LSU Tigers won their home opener in Baton Rouge against a very aggressive Nicholls State squad. The Bayou Bengals secured a 44-21 victory over the Colonels, improving their record to 1-1.
LSU and Nicholls exchanged defensive stops on the first couple of series. The Tigers, however, managed the game's opening points when the fourth-down snap went by the Colonel punter and rolled into and out the backside of the endzone.

On the ensuing punt away, Zavion Thomas returned the football 58 yards into deep Nicholls territory. Garrett Nussmeier and the offense would capitalize on the field position by finding true freshman tight end, Trey’Dez Green, for his first collegiate catch that resulted in a one-yard touchdown pass. The score would cap a short 27-yard drive, making the score 9-0.

Nicholls State would not shy down easily. The Colonels responded hugely with a 13-play, 84-yard drive, that took just over seven minutes off the first-quarter game clock. A fourth-and-medium conversion on the Tiger side of the 50 jumpstarted their second-wind. Senior runningback, Collin Guggenheim, capped off the series with his strong rushing ability, plunging ahead for a two-yard touchdown just before the close of the first quarter. 9-7, LSU.

LSU quickly displayed why they are the better team in the matchup. In just three minutes, the Tigers were back in front after Nuss found a wide-open Kyren Lacy for a 32-yard strike. Lacy, who had already limped off after an earlier play, went airborne and flipped into the end zone before landing hard on his right side. He would manage to get off the field with assistance from trainers as LSU extended their lead to 16-7.

Even if they wanted to budget some NIL money to the roster, LSU’s defense could not buy a stop in the first half. The Colonels dominated the time of possession stat en route to their second (back-to-back) 13-play drive. Tim Rebowe reached deep into his bag of tricks for the Colonels’ second score of the night. Wideout Quincy Brown tossed an 18-yard touchdown to tight end Lee Negrotto after getting the ball off a lateral.

The Tigers would score once more as Nussmeier passed for his third touchdown of the
night. Ju’Juan Johnson came down with a four-yard score, giving LSU a nine-point advantage, 23-14. LSU would get a stop and a chance to extend the lead before halftime, but a Damian Ramos kick would sail wide right as time expired.

On the opening drive of the third quarter, Nicholls tailback Guggenheim would escape the grips of LSU defenders on the way to a 67-yard scamper. The Nicholls touchdown would pull them to within a 23-21 deficit. Back-to-back Kyren Lacy touchdowns with a forced fumble from PJ Woodland in between gave the Tigers all the room they would need to create some separation. With 5:05 remaining in the third quarter, the Colonels now trailed 37-21.

As the clock ticked down on the third period of play, LSU’s Nussmeier struck gold with his sixth touchdown toss of the contest. Wideout Zavion Thomas came down with the four-yard snag, extending the Tiger lead to 23. That TD pass would move Garrett into a three-way tie for the second-most passing touchdowns in a single game by a Tiger. The others? Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow.

LSU and Nicholls State would play each other into a scoreless fourth quarter, putting an end to the excitement of a back-and-forth game throughout the majority of time played. There are a lot of mistakes to clean up, injuries to recover from, and improvements to be made, but LSU earned their first win of the season with a 44-21 final score.

Next week, the Tigers will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to begin conference play against the Gamecocks. That game will be broadcast live on ABC with kickoff slated for 11:00 a.m. CST. Stream can also be caught on ESPN+. Geaux Tigers!

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** I want to thank our fantastic staff photographers, Michael Bacigalupi, Jonathan Mailhes and Corey Perrillioux for the incredible game action photos that they provide. Your hard work and talent with a camera helps make this publication better.. I appreciate all that you guys do... Thank You!
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Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

Photos Below By: Corey Perrillioux

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