Coming off an up and down victory over Nicholls State during week two, here are some initial takeaways about what this could mean for the remainder of the 2024 LSU football season.
LSU football vs. Nicholls: The good, the bad, and the promising from the first win of 2024
The good
Well, for starters, the good news is that LSU has officially earned their first win of the 2024 college football season.
Coming off a sloppy week one that led them to drop several spots in the rankings, the most important thing for the purple and gold heading into week two was getting back on the right track, and that’s exactly what they were able to do.
Led by star quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, the Tiger offense excelled throughout the day, highlighted by an impressive six touchdowns through the air, three of which went from Nuss to Kyren Lacy.
Totaling 302 yards and six touchdowns on 37 pass attempts, the signal caller – while showing occasional inaccuracies deep down field – had no trouble spreading the ball around the field, distributing the his throws to eight different pass catchers.
While it wasn’t a perfect day by any means, the offense showed some serious ability to put points up at will, which is encouraging for the group heading into week three vs. South Carolina in Columbia.
The bad
It was a rough first half for the LSU football defense in their week two matchup vs. in-state Nicholls.
The Colonels came into the day with nothing to lose and everything to gain, and for quite some time, they put on a show in Baton Rouge. While they weren’t able to come away with a victory over the Bayou Bengals, they at the very least were able to show the ability stand up physically with one of the best teams in Division I college football.
Unfortunately, for coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers, that exact same fact is more concerning than anything else. Having given up 145 yards and two touchdowns to Colonel running back Collin Guggenheim, the defensive line group struggled against the FCS opponent, giving plenty of reason to feel uneasy heading into SEC play just next week.
Outside of the defense, the injury bug continues to inch its way into the program, as several star players went down with an injury or two during the week two matchup. Most of the injuries luckily appeared to be minor, but with defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory reportedly tearing his achilles early in the game, yet another Tiger could end being out for the season.
The promising
While the veteran players for the Tigers were understandably the star of the show on Saturday vs. Nicholls, there were several young stars who found some career firsts, as tight end Trey’Dez Green and running back Ju’Juan Johnson, both managed to score their first touchdowns for the purple and gold.
While this might not end up impacting the current season all too much, it at the very least lends to some excitement for the future. These are players who are likely to be with the program for years to come, and it’s notable to see some solid impact in their second career game in Baton Rouge.
The 2024 LSU football team will return to the field this coming Saturday, September 14, 2024, against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, SC, and will be available to watch live on ABC at 11:00 a.m. CST.
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