LSU GRAB 2ND WIN BEHIND SLOPPY OFFENSE & 2ND STRAIGHT DEFENSIVE MASTERCLASS TO BEAT LA TECH 23-7

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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

It was ugly....

It was well off the mark at times...

It was disjointed and poor during other snaps....

It was worrying....

And, it was physically punishing...

Still, LSU sluggishly dragged their way to a 2nd straight win over LA Tech's spirited defensive performance, 23-7, winning comfortably, albeit sloppily, in a battle of two superior defenses.

Saturday night's lukewarm victory was mostly led by another hell bent for leather showing by Blake Baker's dominant, freight train defense, while Joe Sloan's offense failed to generate almost any explosive plays or rack up the expected points totals against such an outmatched opponent.

To my eyes, it was a grim, almost boring display of 2024-esque routine from Sloan's offense....playcalling so conservative, you'd think Sloan was suddenly replaced by Sean Hannity.

But on the first play from scrimmage, something happened which may offer a pretty good excuse:

Week 1's SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week and LSU starting center Braelin Moore went down after his leg was rolled over. He never returned, knocked out with a "sprained ankle", LSUOdyssey was told.

Who knows if LSU's offense would've delivered the goods tonight with Moore up front calling the shots, however, when DJ Chester took over for Moore, we witnessed a very shaky Brad Davis-helmed offensive line getting pushed around for 4 quarters by a hungry, feisty LA Tech defense.

Featuring a star turn from former Tiger & Louisiana native Kolbe Fields, the Tech defense beat LSU up for most of the game, limited the Tigers inside the red zone (holding LSU to 4 field goal attempts), forcing 3 punts, all after intercepting an awkward Nussmeier throw on the first offensive drive, only a few plays following Braelin Moore's departure.

Smothering LSU's backfield for 3 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, while their secondary completely negated any downfield passing chances with 5 pass breakups in tight coverage, the loss of Moore began a long slide back to the habits & scenes of 2024's lacking offense.

Somehow, despite continually getting stuffed, LSU rushed for 88 yards in the 1st half alone, but 48 of those yards stemmed from a single rush via versatile receiver Zavion Thomas, one of only a couple plays over 25 yards all night, and the Tigers could only register 128 for the night...just 40 rushing yards during a 2nd half where you couldn't wear LA Tech down.

Freshman Harlem Berry produced the most on the ground at a paltry 56 yards....though on the other side of the coin, star running back Caden Durham may have rattled off a few clutch runs, but Durham was mostly stuffed, earning just 29 yards on 13 carries.

Due to the extra hands in his face, bodies around the box, or big men rushing up the middle and attacking DJ Chester / the rest of LSU's interior O-line, QB Garrett Nussmeier's accuracy was off tonight as well, finishing 26/41 for 237 passing yards, a single touchdown pass for the second straight contest (finding Nic Anderson for his 1st LSU touchdown) and his first interception of the year.

Considering the firepower and level of opponent, LSU should've dropped 40+ points and had a day for themselves; Instead, Nuss could not consistently connect with his litany of receiving weapons, missing deep shots for Barion Brown, a red zone target sailing too high and away over the outstretched hands of a wide open Aaron Anderson, plus there was a big drop at one juncture by Zaivion Thomas...

Nuss hung in there, delivering game-turning strikes and leading the offense forward, earning 27 first downs, ending 9/16 on 3rd down (Caden Durham's legs cashing in a trio of short yardage 3rd down conversions, including his touchdown, then Aaron Anderson added a pair of 3rd down receptions, headlined by two plays over 21+ yards).

Through his short yardage catches & blinding pace utilized on jet sweeps, WR Barion Brown provided scintillating moments on Saturday, recording a hard-earned 94 yards on 8 catches, making defenders miss repeatedly, and supplying the electricity LSU needed to outlast LA Tech's epic defensive outpouring.

Missing from the equation was an injured Trey'Dez Green, the dynamic 6'7 tight end specimen who was hobbled and twisted up while blocking....yet another injury casualty from this evening.

Yes....the offense was poor....

Only 23 points, Nuss & Co couldn't get out of second gear, constantly harassed and hurried for 4 quarters, and barely any starters taken out of the game, although there is one extremely beautiful facet of Saturday night's Death Valley opener:

Blake Baker's Bayou Bandits are for real, pitching a shutout for 3 1/2 quarters until Baker wisely pulled starters like Whit Weeks, Harold Perkins, Mansoor Delane, and Tamarcus Cooley with a few minutes remaining.

Only surrendering 158 total yards, 2.1 per rush on the ground, LA Tech's overwhelmed offense averaging just 2.9 yards per play against Baker's men, LSU's 2025 defensive juggernaut tallied 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 5 pass breakups, and 3 QB Hits behind a towering performance by eldest Weeks Brother West Weeks (10 tackles, 0.5 sack shared with his brother Whit, and 1 tackle for loss).

The numbers don't pop off the screen, as this was a game you would've liked to see more sacks finished off in the LA Tech backfield considering the heavy amounts of pressure, or creating turnovers (CB Ashton Stamps dropped two interceptions right through his hands), however it was obviously still another Blake Baker masterclass: forcing 9 punts, giving up 1 scoring drive across 11 trips, and closing out 5 drives in only 3 plays.

So, after 2 weeks, LSU's defense is operating at an elite, top 10 level.....

Yet offensively, there isn't just a lot to be desired, there is much to be concerned about...from 2024 patterns of wasted drives, offensive line instability, alongside an inability to stretch the field (even though Chris Hilton Jr is healthy, he is once again anonymous through the first 2 games), and a strong suspicion LSU can't run the football consistently.

Plus, if tonight is any indication, key injuries suffered by center Braelin Moore and TE Trey'Dez Green could be major problems in the weeks ahead....

At 23-7, sure, LSU was comfortable in victory, although the Tigers relied on backbreaking flags by LA Tech, escaped 2 of their own fumbles (1 that was barely out of the clutches of a Tech defender, and a 2nd on special teams where a punt bounced directly off Barion Brown's foot...only taken off the board thanks to a flag)....all as LSU's offense could only muster a pair of touchdowns for the second straight game.....

It was ugly.....

It was troubling...

It provided more questions than answers....

But in the end, LSU start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2019.....and now a scorned, 1-1 Florida team, coming off a bruising, humiliating defeat to South Florida, will arrive in 7 days to usher in the SEC gauntlet...

By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

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