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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
Head Coach Brian Kelly told his players on Friday before the South Carolina game, "they already believe they can beat you, it's up to you to take that belief from them..."
Flash forward to Saturday morning...
....When LSU was already down 17-0 early in the 2nd quarter, after being roundly outgained, outclassed, outcoached, allowing explosive plays, failing to tackle with any consistency to speak of, getting bitched around inside the trenches, suffering a blocked punt that directly led to a touchdown, as well as a screwed up PAT, South Carolina weren't just believing they could beat LSU....it was happening....
The towels waved like stolen scepters in the morning haze, South Carolina fans hooting & hollering at an unearthly decibel, drunk on power & rarely felt omnipotence....Shane Beamer's meth-chiseled skull starting to hop & bop to the rhythm of the bonedance before him.....
....Live on ABC, before a sadistic national audience counting down until their execution, LSU were getting their asses violently serviced by South Carolina....and nothing could seemingly stop the Cocks' party...nothing could halt this freight train....
Then, something crazy occurred....
A cast of Tigers stood up, played their part, started fulfilling their role, and an exhausting, intensely rigorous turnaround began.
From QB Garrett Nussmeier, RB Caden Durham, WR Aaron Anderson, DEs Bradyn Swinson, Saivion Jones and Paris Shand, even cornerback Ashton Stamps batting down an end zone-bound pass to force a field goal, these were displays of pure heart....
On a Saturday where everything went against LSU, because of LSU, Brian Kelly's Tigers found a way...mostly due to key leaders shaking off mistakes & making significant plays at the most critical points of the game.
Although special mention must go to how the 17 point comeback all started......stemming from the violent, steadily churning legs of a true freshman running back who wouldn't be denied.
In the 2nd quarter, debutant Caden Durham was thrown into the fire as a last ditch attempt to run the football...and with LSU backs firmly up against the wall, his inclusion hit pay dirt, unlocking the Gamecocks' defense & supplying the Tigers' first touchdown of the game on a crazy 26 yard score on 3rd & 9.
Durham later totaled 98 yards, 2 scores, making 7 would be tacklers miss, hitting 5 runs over 10 yards all from just 11 carries (most of this production arriving in the 2nd half)....
Durham's rushing power and agility woke the Tigers up, as did a pair of critical early turnovers forced by CB Zy Alexander (hauling down an interception) while a blitzing Sage Ryan sacked & stripped the ball from Cocks QB LaNorris Sellers, #7 Harold Perkins recovering inside enemy territory.
However, despite creating multiple turnovers, LSU's offense wasted at least 3 first half drives inside the red zone, their offensive line beaten up while making flagrant, drive-killing penalties, failing to come away with points inside enemy territory due to the frenetic D-line pressure by South Carolina's Kennard, Stewart & Edmonds, alongside strong coverage from O'Donnell Fortune.
Then, as South Carolina continued to pile up yards, possessions & points on the Tigers' bewildered-looking defense (Sellers escaping tackles by Swinson, Suggs and a whiff by Ryan in space to take a 75 yard carry the distance), somehow LSU went into halftime only down 8 points.
Possibly most important of all, LSU edge rusher Bradyn Swinson sacked Sellers right on the stroke of halftime, ruining any chance of adding to their lead, injuring the Cocks' starting freshman QB, and knocking him out of the game....a play which will haunt every Gamecocks fan for the rest of the season.
After facing a 17-0 deficit, having a punt blocked, outgained 265 yards to 169, shutout on 4 straight plays with the ball at the 2 yard line at one point, rushing for a pathetic 41 yards (26 from Durham's opening scoring TD alone), only scoring 3 points from 2 forced fumbles & 1 INT, LSU's offensive line getting pushed around, allowing free hits on Garrett Nussmeier, as they also picked up flags for foolish penalties, luckily having a pick six called back....somehow, some way, after all of that in one tumultuous half of spell-binding, frontal lobe-destroying football, a mere 8 points separated the two teams going into halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, Blake Baker's defense turned the game on its head during a dominant 3rd quarter, allowing just a single yard of offense to the Cocks, now led by former Auburn QB Robby Ashford.
Simultaneously, Sloan's offense gained traction on the ground thanks to Durham once again, as QB Garrett Nussmeier hung in the pocket, took vicious hits low to the legs, gutting through obvious pain, and still delivering strong throws, Aaron Anderson, Kyren Lacy, CJ Daniels, Mason Taylor all contributing at least 53 receiving yards.
Over the entire 2nd half, LSU's offense found their way little by little, dodging near turnover calamity & an ineffective 3rd quarter (just 6 points from various opportunities), outscoring the Cocks 20-9 across the final two sessions.
Needing another awful late hit penalty from South Carolina (1 of their 13 penalties) just to survive & nullify a 2nd near pick six, a moment that would've effectively ended the game, LSU rode their luck on the edge of a burning candle.........
.....was it a season melting away??? OR a searing confidence....lighting & guiding the path to victory through one of the most terminally psychotic Saturdays of the Brian Kelly era???
The game was a nonstop surreal hellride of vengeful brutality and punishing savagery, a primal pummeling of the senses, a complete & utterly absurd adventure of footballing mayhem & mischief on a nuclear scale....
LSU vs South Carolina truly had it all...and somehow, possibly our mind might have survived intact.....how about yours???
It was a game which will forever make zero sense to anyone who owns a television & a face:
Defensively, Blake Baker's unit caused total havoc, 18 pressures, 9 TFLs, 5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 interception, held their opponent under 200 yards passing....but still they surrendered 33 points as well as 243 rushing yards.....mostly due to moments of disjointed tackling & complete gap busts, namely two runs of 66 & 75 yards by Raheim Sanders & Sellers.
Regardless, LSU's defense made enough plays to win this game & displayed toughness & swagger when the stakes were highest, earning stops, forcing turnovers, creating constant pressure....a primal effort fronted by standout coaching from Kevin Peoples, as his edge men & DEs Saivion Jones, Paris Shand, and defensive MVP Bradyn Swinson made a massive difference.
Swinson collected a career high 3 sacks, 3 TFLs, 7 pressures, and 1 FF recovered by Major Burns, as first time 2024 starter Whit Weeks led the way with 11 tackles, 8 as a solo artist, rebounding from a few early mistakes.
As proceedings continued to descend into a neverending origami of chaos, South Carolina's lukewarm offense became far too focused on hybrid defender Harold Perkins' movement & positioning; Their obsession with Perkins, combined with their inability to throw the ball, allowed LSU's other defensive playmakers to swarm the Cocks' backfield.
Without the poise or backyard football instincts of the injured Sellers, who gave Baker's defense major issues the entire 1st half, LSU's 2024 defense showed resilience & put the clampdown on Beamer's Cocks, obliterating Robby Ashford. Outside of Rocket Sanders' long 66 yard touchdown run, the Cocks' had little going in the 2nd half.
Ushered on by a gutty performance from QB Garrett Nussmeier, refusing to back down....even when accepting ruthless hits or throwing 2 nerve-rattling, heart-racing near pick sixes, Cortez Hankton's receivers fought for their QB & began to really stamp their mark on the game, in turn wearing down Clayton White's defense.
Anderson, enjoying a monster campaign through 3 games, went off for his most realized outing yet.
The New Orleans-born burner & finesse artist instead made hard-nosed catches through traffic, dove for 1st downs or slid around, through or beyond tacklers....exerting himself with an infinite swagger.
Amassing 5 first downs from 5 catches (6 targets), Anderson hit 96 yards on the day, each catch an elite play that sustained drives & consistently helped out his quarterback. After 3 straight solid to strong outings, the former Edna Karr 5 star is beginning to hit his full potential wearing purple and gold.
Quiet throughout the 1st half, Kyren Lacy exploded into life by way of his 5th touchdown of the year, plus a big time catch that sent the Tigers inside the 5 yard line to kill the game off (63 yards, 5 catches, 9 targets & 1 TD).
Nussmeier also received passing game assists from CJ Daniels (53 yards, 4 grabs, 6 targets) & a mature outing via Mason Taylor (58 yards, 1 TD, 6 grabs, 7 targets).
Despite enduring a difficult first 3 quarters, LSU's offensive line remained firm in the end, finding their footing as they led Josh Williams into the end zone for the game winning score, left guard Garrett Dellinger smashing two Carolina defenders to clear the path on a beautifully drawn up play by under fire offensive coordinator Joe Sloan.
Although they'd need a potential game-tying field goal to curve wide left in the final seconds, LSU escaped a raucous, dangerous, ultimately distraught William-Brice Stadium.
Winning 36-33 as they ripped Cocks fans' hearts out, LSU were only just deserving of victory after overcoming every error, obstacle, and self destruction known in football against a below average Gamecocks side, backed by an electric, bloodthirsty atmsophere.
Ending an exhausting 3 game march over 13 days....from Vegas to Baton Rouge and finally the East Coast, Brian Kelly's Tigers continue their 2024 death tour....a ride that is not meant for the faint of heart, timid in mind or weak in body.....a season through the SEC Hellscape that will include many more close games, close shaves, certified madness, incredible atmospheres, and surreal, narcotic scenes of footballing revelry to behold in the weeks ahead....
Buckle up....something tells me this is going to be a very bumpy, but highly entertaining ride....
WATCH THE POSTGAME SHOW
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2024 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
Great rundown on the game. Thanks Lonn!