Big-play offense leads No. 14 LSU in 42-10 win over South Alabama

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — Garrett Nussmeier set a new personal record with 409 passing yards, while Caden Durham contributed 217 yards and two touchdowns in No. 14 LSU's 42-10 victory over South Alabama on Saturday night. The team amassed a season-best 667 yards of offense.

On the first offensive play, Durham caught a pass from Nussmeier and sprinted 71 yards for a touchdown. He also had an 86-yard run to the 1-yard line and an 8-yard rushing touchdown, helping LSU establish a 21-0 lead in the opening quarter.

Nussmeier scored two rushing touchdowns (1-yard and 5-yard) and threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Anderson, extending LSU's lead to 35-3 by halftime.

“Joe Sloan always emphasizes starting quickly,” Nussmeier stated. “We probably didn't expect to start that fast, but Caden's plays were exceptional.”

Nussmeier completed 26 of 39 passes, while Durham, a freshman, gained 128 rushing yards and 89 receiving yards on 10 touches. Kyren Lacy added five receptions for 107 yards, with 11 different LSU players recording at least one reception.

Following the loss of preseason All-American linebacker Harold Perkins to a season-ending knee injury, LSU showcased strong performances from other linebackers in their first game back. Greg Penn recorded 14 tackles, while Whit Weeks contributed nine tackles in the Tigers' victory.

South Alabama (2-3) managed to score early in the second quarter with a 49-yard field goal by Laith Marjan, reducing the deficit to 21-3. The Jaguars' sole touchdown of the game occurred on their initial possession of the third quarter, as Gio Lopez connected with Anthony Eager for a 27-yard touchdown.

Lopez completed 16 of 22 passes for 171 yards and added 33 rushing yards. Eager made four receptions for 91 yards.

Having difficulty starting strong in the first four games of the season, LSU had a breakthrough by dominating early and securing a comfortable lead in the first half. The Tigers surpassed South Alabama by more than 300 yards and maintained an average of 13 yards per play in the first half.