Garrett Nussmeier threw a touchdown pass and Caden Durham rushed for a touchdown in an otherwise sluggish offensive performance as No. 3 LSU defeated Louisiana Tech 23-7 on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.

The Tigers (2-0) were favored by more than five touchdowns, but didn’t build a comfortable lead until late in the third quarter. But a dominant performance by the LSU defense prevented any serious threat of an upset.

Trey Kukuk completed just 12 of 18 passes for 50 yards and the Bulldogs (1-1) finished with 58 rushing yards and 154 total yards.

Nussmeier completed 26 of 41 passes for 237 yards, but threw an interception on the game’s first possession, setting the tone for the defense-oriented game.

The Tigers ran 22 more plays than Louisiana Tech (75-53), leading to a 36:52-23:08 advantage in time of possession and they allowed an average of just 2.9 yards per play.

LSU punted on its first possession of the second half, but its second possession ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Durham that increased the lead to 17-0 at the end of the third quarter.

The Tigers drove to a first down at the Louisiana Tech 15, but lost 9 yards before Damian Ramos kicked a 46-yard field goal for a 20-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Blake Baker replaced Kukuk to start the fourth quarter and he directed a 13-play, 74-yard drive that ended with his 33-yard touchdown pass to Devin Gandy to trim the lead to 20-7 with 4:02 remaining.

Ramos added a 19-yard field goal to complete the scoring with 1:55 left.

LSU’s first two possessions ended with Nussmeier’s interception and a missed field goal, but on the Tigers’ third possession, they drove 98 yards and Nussmeier threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Nic Anderson for a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Tigers drove to the Bulldogs’ 6 midway through the second quarter before stalling, and Ramos, who missed a 51-yard field goal earlier, hit a 23-yarder to increase the lead to 10-0 at halftime.

–Field Level Media