The LSU Tigers didn’t expect to make any resounding statements against Nicholls State in their home opener, but unexpected first-half challenges offered more concern than confidence in the 44-21 win. The Tigers overcame a valiant effort by the FCS Colonels from Thibodaux to improve to 1-1 on the season. The road to the win was surprising to most.
LSU Shakes Off First Half Struggles vs Nicholls State
Colonel Keep-Away
The game started like a typical big brand team vs. FCS opponent contest. A Nicholls bad snap on a punt attempt ended with a safety followed by a quick touchdown on LSU’s ensuing possession. Everything was what it should be until it wasn’t. Down 9-0, the unfazed Colonels shockingly dominated time of possession in the first half with their ball-control offense.
Their battering ram of a running back, Collin Guggenheim, plugged away at the Tiger defense for a few yards at a time. His positive yardage usually put Nicholls in third-and-short situations where Guggenheim moved to “Wildcat” quarterback to run for the conversions successfully. This style of play led to a seven-minute, 84-yard drive in which he rushed for a touchdown to bring the Colonels within two points of the lead.
The good news for the Tigers is that they responded with a touchdown drive. The bad news is LSU’s drive to extend the lead to 16-7 consisted of seven passing plays and only one running play. Garrett Nussmeier completed an intermediate pass to Thibodaux native Kyren Lacy. Lacy jumped over his opponent and into the end zone, leaving the home crowd frozen in fear of an injury. Fortunately, Lacy returned to the game after the trainers tended to him. Unfortunately, the Tiger running game did not return. Although the Tigers’ pass-to-run ratio seemed to be by design, it won’t make anybody feel better about LSU’s ability to run the ball.
Uncooperative Underdog
Nicholls responded the same way every time LSU scored quickly – by methodically moving the ball down the field and finishing with touchdowns. The Colonels responded to Lacy’s touchdown with an eight-minute drive. Pat McQuaide, the visiting quarterback, did not throw often, but he was remarkably efficient. McQuaide was 4-4 passing on this drive and kept Nicholls in manageable third-down situations.
The Colonels finished the drive spectacularly with wide receiver Quincy Brown passing for a touchdown after catching the ball behind the line of scrimmage. With 4:18 left in the half, Nicholls State was down only 16-14, and LSU fans were getting restless. After an opening week loss, nobody expected the Tigers to stumble through the first half against Nicholls.
Tigers Pull Away in the Second Half
Freshman cornerback PJ Woodland received significantly more action than he saw in game one and rewarded the staff for its decision. Early in the second half, Nicholls proceeded to drive downfield with tough runs and quick passes. Woodland allowed a catch to Brown but didn’t give up on the play. He not only punched the ball out of Brown’s grasp while making a tackle but also recovered the fumble. LSU went on to score quickly with another touchdown pass to Lacy after the fumble recovery. Lacy’s touchdown brought the score to 37-21, and the game was never in question again.
LSU overcame its first-half struggles to stuff the run better in the second half and make third-down conversions tougher for the Colonels. Eventually, the four-yard runs turned into two-yard runs. Nicholls is an efficient passing team but not explosive. By the fourth quarter, the Colonels seemed content with their effort, deciding against attempting fourth-down conversions on multiple occasions.
New Faces in New Places
As expected, other freshmen also played major roles in the Tigers’ win. Safety Dashawn Spears got his first start and had a key pass breakup to end a second-half drive. Spears got better at supporting the run defense as the night went on. Redshirt freshman Kylin Jackson started at the other safety spot. True freshman Gabe Reliford was impactful on the defensive line. Infusing the younger talent into the game plan will likely raise the ceiling for this defense.
It seemed that Blake Baker was experimenting with his lineup to maximize his talent. Harold Perkins played the star position at one point while brothers West Weeks and Whit Weeks played linebacker. Cornerback Sage Ryan got some work at safety. Zy Alexander’s play at cornerback was an encouraging sign that he’s rounding back into his pre-injury shape.
No Run, No Fun
It was obvious early on that the LSU staff did not approach this game with the intent to establish the running game. There’s wisdom in taking what the defense gives you, and it’s great to know your strengths. Either way, an offense has to have more balance than the Tigers displayed on Saturday.
Rushing for 64 yards simply puts too much pressure on your quarterback to win the game against any opponent. LSU had 21 rushing attempts in the game. Guggenheim had 17 rushing attempts in the first half. Nicholls was prepared and executed flawlessly. LSU will need to do the same in its first SEC matchup of the year next week at South Carolina.
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