LSU dominates second half to beat UCLA, 34-17

Geaux Time Staff Photo

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana – LSU dominated UCLA in the second half with a 17-0 run to secure a 34-17 victory at Tiger Stadium on a sweltering mid-September afternoon.

The Tigers, with a 3-1 record, will be back in Death Valley next Saturday for a 6:30 p.m. CT game against South Alabama on the SEC Network. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had an impressive performance, completing 32-of-44 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns.

He quickly connected with junior receiver Kyren Lacy on the first play of the game for a 17-yard gain to the LSU 42-yard line. Shortly after, Nussmeier found redshirt sophomore receiver Aaron Anderson for a 21-yard completion to the Bruins 33.

Josh Williams, a sixth-year senior, maintained the drive's momentum with a 23-yard rush through the middle, advancing the football to the UCLA 5-yard line. Following that, Nussmeier made a forward pitch to Zavion Thomas for a five-yard touchdown pass, concluding a 75-yard drive that consisted of six plays and lasted two minutes and 41 seconds.

On 3rd-and-4 from the Bruin 31, quarterback Ethan Garbers faced pressure but managed to connect with Keegan Jones for a 28-yard completion to the LSU 41-yard line. UCLA decided to go for it on 4th-and-2, successfully converting with a 13-yard completion to the LSU 20. Garbers capitalized on the opportunity by throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jack Pederson on the subsequent play, tying the game at 7-7 with 8:10 left in the first quarter.

During a crucial 3rd-and-6 situation at the UCLA 46, Garbers completed a 29-yard pass to Devin Kirkwood, advancing to the LSU 25. Despite some initial progress, the Bruins faced another 3rd-and-7 at the LSU 22, but Garbers was tackled by Paris Shand for a loss of seven yards. Bhaghani successfully kicked a 47-yard field goal, giving UCLA a 10-7 lead with only 17 seconds left in the quarter.

On the following drive, the Tigers gained 15 yards due to a pass interference penalty after a pass from Nussmeier to Lacy to move from the LSU 25 to the LSU 40. In the opening play of the second quarter, Nussmeier completed a 4-yard pass to Mason Taylor for a first down. LSU regained the lead when Nussmeier threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman Kyle Parker, putting the Tigers ahead 14-10 with 13:57 remaining in the half.

In the subsequent drive, the Tigers managed to halt UCLA's progress as senior defensive end Bradyn Swinson sacked Garber for an 11-yard loss, resulting in UCLA's first punt of the game.

Geaux Time Staff Photo

Swinson continued to make an impact in the second quarter, forcing a fumble from Garber with 6:48 left on the clock, which was recovered by Saivion Jones at the UCLA 38. LSU quickly advanced the ball as Nussmeier connected with CJ Daniels for a 23-yard gain, but the drive only culminated in a field goal. Damian Ramos successfully kicked a 22-yard field goal on 4th-and-5, increasing LSU's lead to 17-10 with 3:45 remaining in the first half.

The Bruins scored points just before halftime when Garber connected with Kwazi Gilmer for a 32-yard completion to the LSU 3-yard line. Later, on 3rd-and-11, Garbers found Logan Loya for an 11-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left in the half, tying the game at 17-17.

In the second half, Nussmeier started strong with a 43-yard reception to Taylor, advancing the ball to the UCLA 48-yard line with 10:26 remaining. Then, on 3rd-and-5 from the UCLA 43, Josh Williams gained 8 yards to reach the Bruin 35.

Following some positive plays and a pass interference penalty on UCLA, the Tigers capitalized with Williams scoring a 2-yard touchdown run at 6:11 in the third quarter, reclaiming the lead at 24-17. This scoring drive covered 96 yards over 14 plays and nearly seven minutes, marking LSU's longest drive of the season and in Death Valley since 10/8/2022 vs. Tennessee.

During this drive, Taylor became LSU's all-time leader in receiving yards by a tight end with 990 yards, having already set the record for most receptions by an LSU tight end.

On the subsequent possession, Nussmeier found Caden Durham for a 35-yard touchdown reception, extending the Tigers' lead to 31-17 with 11:15 remaining in the game.

The defense secured another turnover when a QB pressure from Jones led to an interception by Jardin Gilbert, giving LSU possession at the UCLA 45-yard line. Ramos then kicked a 35-yard field goal, increasing the lead to 34-17 with 5:48 left to play.