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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
On one of the hottest days inside Tiger Stadium history, during one of just 6 home games on the calendar all year, amid Death Valley's 100th anniversary, LSU players, coaches, fans, media members, and especially their opponents failed to bring their A game in a listless, lukewarm early afternoon rematch between LSU and UCLA.
The Tigers may have won 34-17, QB Garrett Nussmeier definitely ripped out another brilliant 300 yard performance (his third of the campaign, piling up 352 yards, 32 completions, 3 TDs & 0 INTs), edge rushing menace Bradyn Swinson collected his second straight multi-sack appearance, receiver Aaron Anderson & tight end Mason Taylor kept Nussmeier & the offense in rhythm (specifically on two 90+ Yard scoring drives during the 2nd half), Whit Weeks led in tackling for the 2nd straight game (7 tackles, 3 solo), young guns Kyle Parker & Caden Durham scored two receiving TDs via explosive plays of 35+ yards, and yet overall, the team were uninspired as a squad.
Against an opponent LSU should've dominated wire to wire, once again Brian Kelly's Tigers win a game while many questions & worries still linger, as even more injury concerns pile up (Harold Perkins' knee, forcing his exit to the locker room)......it was a display where LSU's individuals stood above the rest to make plays & drag the result over the heat raving, hard boiling line.
Despite scoring on their opening drive for the first time in 4 games this year, (starting off with Nussmeier ensconced in beautiful passing rhythm, running back Josh Williams leading the way on the ground as well, 39 yards on 4 carries early, ending on 62 from 13 attempts, plus a critical TD), it was LSU's secondary who let the team down on Saturday, allowing UCLA to rack up 17 points & over 200 yards through the air before halftime, as UCLA QB Ethan Garbers tossed constant completions for big plays, time and time again.
Regardless of the defensive descent into madness, Joe Sloan's NussBus offense was able to run the football just enough (102 yards on 28 attempts), score a mere 17 points in each half, as Nussmeier hit 5 different receivers for 40+ yards, spreading the ball around to many varying pass catching profiles in tight windows throughout the 4 game season thus far.
It was LSU on cruise control, melting under the baking sun's horrendous conditions (130 degrees inside the players' box, according to ABC crews), with temperatures sending over 70 people in the crowd to seek medical attention, plus large amounts of attendees leaving the game.....sucking out the energy from the fans, players & everyone else involved, killing any potential atmosphere.....
If the heat no doubt drained and destroyed the will of die hard LSU fans to seek the air conditioned shelter of Tiger Land, imagine how it affected the large swarm of traveling Bruins fans.....or their players, who looked spent midway through the 3rd quarter....unable to endure the heat-drenched brainmelt caused by LSU's long offensive drives????
Facing these nasty conditions like another day at Fall Camp, Nussmeier guided LSU to a strong day inside the red zone and on 3rd down (4/4 & 10/15), strong improvements from weeks prior which gave Sloan's offense an effortless victory across a pass-happy 3rd & 4th quarter.
Even throughout a 2nd half where LSU's defense shut UCLA out completely, the Tigers' porous secondary still gave up numerous aerial gains, surrendering 274 total yards through the air, 134 yards after catch, and worst of all, allowing UCLA QB Ethan Garbers to connect on 13 passes of 11 yards or more to 9 different pass catchers, 5 receptions hitting more than 20 yards apiece......3 different Tiger DBs allowing 3-5 catches each.
Lackadaisical, soft, anonymous coverage by Major Burns (surrendering his 7th TD pass across his last 17 appearances), Ashton Stamps (who suffered through a day of hard lessons, allowing 5 catches, including a long of 32 yards), PJ Woodland (beaten on a key TD), and even LB Whit Weeks often undid the savagely brilliant work up front by the Tigers' scintillating pass rush and run stoppages:
Holding UCLA to -14 rushing yards at halftime before giving up 14 total by the end of proceedings, delivering 25 pressures, 5 sacks, 5 TFLs, Bradyn Swinson's second forced fumble in two games (6 pressures & 2 sacks for Swinson), and numerous moments of havoc from a few different contributors, without question, LSU's front is easily the strength of Blake Baker's defense.
Linebacker Whit Weeks led the team in tackles but also utilized his biblical speed to grab 4 QB pressures, often on key downs (creating a sack on one instance), DE Saivion Jones continues to enjoy a stellar senior campaign (4 tackles, 3 QB pressures, 2 QB hits, 0.5 Sack, 0.5 TFL, and 1 fumble recovery), while transfer DT Jay'viar Suggs only featured across 8 snaps, but was frenetic, hard to handle, and brutally effective for LSU: recording 4 pressures, 1 sack, 1 batted pass, plus 1 TFL from just 8 plays on the field....incredible production from the Grand Valley State transfer.
Much like LSU's turgid 1st half performance contrasting against their stronger 2nd half, Corey Raymond's pisspoor secondary put a damper on all the hard work from Bo Davis / Kevin Peoples' front, getting repeatedly opened up by Garbers at the backend.
Overall, it was a mind melting day where Ray Baker won out, staking his claim to the blood boiling victory as he left over 100,000 people scorched by his decadent radiating pools of humid death.
LSU swam through the sweat for a win that failed to show the swaggering dominion Tiger fans craved, a game mired in a hellscape heatwave that failed to satisfy from any standpoint or metric, neither did we witness a complete defensive performance, or necessarily a strong start (locked in an unthinkable 17-17 tie at halftime), however a handful of individual Tigers continue their rise with high rates of startling, game-changing production that tilted the scales in LSU's favor for a 3rd time in 4 games....but only just....
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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
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