Garrett Nussmeier had two touchdown passes and a pair of touchdown runs as No. 14 LSU defeated South Alabama 42-10 in a nonconference game Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
Nussmeier, who entered Saturday tied for second in the country with 13 touchdown passes and seventh in passing yards per game (311.75), completed 26 of 39 attempts for 409 yards with two interceptions. He added two rushes for 6 yards.
Freshman Caden Durham had 128 rushing yards and a touchdown on just seven carries and 89 receiving yards and a touchdown on three catches for the Tigers (4-1) before sitting out the second half with a foot injury.
The Jaguars (2-3), who came into the game averaging 504 yards and 48.3 points per game, finished with 333 total yards compared with 667 for LSU.
Gio Lopez completed 16 of 22 passes for 171 yards, but freshman Fluff Bothwell, who entered the game averaging 9.7 yards per rush and had 359 rushing yards and six touchdowns, was held to 17 rushing yards on 10 carries.
South Alabama set a Sun Belt Conference record by scoring 135 points in its previous two games.
The Jaguars’ touchdown came on the first possession of the second half, when Lopez threw a 27-yard pass to Anthony Eager that trimmed the lead to 35-10 at the end of the third quarter.
Josh Williams’ 4-yard touchdown run for the Tigers on the second play of the fourth quarter completed the scoring.
On the first play from scrimmage, Durham caught a short pass from Nussmeier and turned it into a 71-yard touchdown.
On the first play of the Tigers’ second possession, Durham ran 86 yards to the Jaguars’ 1-yard line, and on the next play, Nussmeier sneaked 1 yard for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
LSU’s third possession ended with Durham rushing 8 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Laith Marjan kicked a 49-yard field goal on the second play of the second quarter to give South Alabama its first points, but Nussmeier’s 5-yard touchdown run expanded the lead to 28-3.
Nussmeier’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Anderson pushed the lead to 35-3 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
