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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
From the first play of the game until the last, LSU's week 5 matchup against South Alabama turned into their strongest, most dominate & complete display of 2024 thus far, racking up 667 total yards (429 yards in the 1st half, the most at LSU since Joe Burrow & Co destroyed Oklahoma in the 2019 CFP Semifinal) & treating us to their best performance on defense under Blake Baker with a litany of hard hitting, take no prisoners, throwback LSU defense, replete with highlight reel hits & backfield havoc. Due to these factors, LSU settled matters far before the end of the 1st quarter....walking into halftime holding a 35-3 lead before eventually sealing a 42-10 victory.
In one of the all time greatest offensive displays by a freshman Tiger, 2024 class RB Caden Durham immediately became the story of the evening, racking up 217 total yards from just 10 touches (128 rushing, 89 receiving), adding 1 rushing TD & 1 receiving score, Durham feasted on 157 yards from his first two touches, a 71 yard TD reception on a pass in the flat from LSU's first play of the game, followed by an 86 yard rushing play right through the teeth of South Alabama's defense on LSU's 2nd play from scrimmage......showcasing his blazing, unbelievably high octane track pace, as well as his natural dual threat abilities in the passing game or on the ground..........this was cinematic football, Durham hitting new heights at unforeseen speed right before our eyes & leaving all challengers in the ashes of his wake.
In the blink of an eye, interrupted by LSU's defense forcing a 3 and out, the Tigers were up 14-0 thanks to Durham's pair of spellbinding playmaking, topped off by a quick 1 yard rushing TD by QB Garrett Nussmeier.
Nussmeier had yet another mostly strong night himself, tossing 26 completions, 409 yards through the air, 2 passing TDs, plus a pair of rushing scores, although he threw 2 ill advised, sloppy interceptions that drew the ire of Head Coach Brian Kelly & the remaining crowd.
Regardless, Nuss remained patient, dealt the football to a variety of pass catchers at the right moments, making scalding tight window throws, emanated plenty of poise under pressure, and set a career high passing mark of 409 yards while looking like he was on a fishing trip for the most part....it was effortless brilliance, almost too easy for Nuss.
Durham would get hurt before the end of halftime, his 200 yard historic night & the win already sealed. Hopes are his ankle injury is nothing serious.....without question, the freshman is LSU's 1st string running back & one of the Tigers' most explosive players on roster, becoming the first skill position Tiger to eclipse 100 yards this year....and he only needed 2 plays....
"That Kid Caden", a freshman running back who climbed his way into a starting spot, led LSU to victory tonight, yet he also wrote himself into the history books, likely snapping a myriad of program records in the process.
Elsewhere, Blake Baker's injury-ravaged defense put on an impressive, relentless 4 quarter display that only included 1 or 2 hiccups alongside plentiful doses of hardnosed, disruptive play from the front 6/7, featuring a lengthy cast of playmakers tonight contributing to the Tigers' 9 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 1 TD allowed over 60 minutes.
Before the game, I was worried about how LSU's defense, without Harold Perkins or Jacobian Guillory, would be able to perform against Gio Lopez' dual threat abilities and South Alabama's rampant rushing attack.
No need for concern, as Whit Weeks took the mantle, leading the defense as a force of violent nature, flying all over the field making plays like a hunter on the prowl, posting 9 tackles (2nd behind Greg Penn III's emphatic 14), 1 TFL, while his consistent pressures created 2 sacks for his teammates.
Already breaking out as a freshman starter during multiple games last fall, Weeks is now moving into a role he may have believed was a year away:
In the absence of Harold Perkins, LSU's Georgia native sophomore is now a key defensive leader for Blake Baker's unit...with tonight signifying his coming out party as a true talisman at linebacker.
During one snap, a play that symbolized a changing of the guard for LSU's defensive mentality, Weeks and Major Burns smashed Gio Lopez' helmet off at the goal-line as they denied the South Alabama QB a garbage time touchdown......it was a moment of brutal, beastly beauty, the hardest LSU hit I've witnessed since Jay Ward nearly decapitated Bryce Young in 2021.
Baker's defense were absolutely rabid tonight, attacking the ball as a unit, swarming, feasting, carrying far more urgency in their tackling, and locking in tight against the run for a second straight game.....a great sign ahead of a showdown vs 1 loss Ole Miss in 13 days.
This was the LSU performance we were hoping for....a complete game, 4 full quarters of dominant football....young guns taking the reins, veterans stepping up to the plate, new leaders emerging amidst adversity, explosive plays on offense (at least 14 plays over 23 yards), effective, hellraising defense (holding South Alabama's high scoring offense to 10 points, 4-14 on 3rd downs, and 0-1 from just a single trip inside the red zone, giving up the bulk of their 333 allowed yards throughout garbage time), backed by pedal to the metal coaching by offensive & defensive coordinators Joe Sloan & Blake Baker.....and still, this team can and will improve...I feel this team have far more to give, with hungry young talents all over the roster, flashing and itching for more time (Ahmad Breaux, Dashawn Womack, Gabe Reliford among others).
As surprised as I was by tonight's overwhelming defensive display, as shocked as some may be by LSU's quickfire offensive start or Durham's historic 1st half, the most surprising element of Saturday's events must be the Tigers' solid current footing among the quucksand college football landscape:
If some fans are out there still moaning and groaning about 4 consecutive wins, consumed with fear of future SEC opposition, I say this to you:
Right now, LSU have 1 loss....as many defeats as top 10 ranked favorites Georgia and Ole Miss. Losing in the final seconds to top 20 USC doesn't look that bad now, compared to an embarrassing loss vs Kentucky at home or letting Saban-less Alabama rack up a 30-7 halftime lead.
LSU are in the picture, on the cusp of the top 10 with a big date ahead against Lane Kiffin's embarrassed, humbled, overrated "top 10" Rebels....set for Baton Rouge 2 weeks from tonight.....
Did we just see the real 2024 Tigers stand up?
WATCH THE SHORT POSTGAME SHOW
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2024 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
It was a good win, but I believe Perkins absence caused the front seven to play more freely. We need to look long and hard at using the freshman more and more on the back end. Sage has been a loyal Tiger but he is still struggling.