There were boos in Tiger Stadium as coach Brian Kelly and his 16th-ranked LSU team left the field at halftime, tied with UCLA on Saturday.
Whether it was LSU’s inconsistent early performance or the intense Louisiana heat, many fans left their seats shortly after. Those who stayed witnessed a much improved second half.
Garrett Nussmeier threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns, leading No. 16 LSU to a 34-17 win by outscoring UCLA 17-0 after halftime.
“Wish we were cleaner in the first half. The mistakes are maddening,” Kelly said. “Those are the guys we got. There’s nobody getting traded. … We’re going to keep working with them and they’re going to turn the corner.”
LSU also lost linebacker Harold Perkins, a preseason All-American, to a right knee injury while making a tackle in the fourth quarter.
Perkins needed help to get to the sideline and later walked slowly to the locker room with a towel over his head, assisted by trainers on each side.
“He’s injured,” Kelly said. “We don’t know. I mean, we’ll do all the diagnostic testing tonight and tomorrow and we’ll have a better answer” on Monday.
After Perkins left, LSU (3-1) was ahead by two touchdowns and added a field goal with 5:48 left, marking the Tigers’ third straight victory.
Mason Taylor made eight catches for 77 yards, becoming LSU’s all-time leading receiving tight end with 999 career yards.
“It means a lot; it’s always a goal to make an impact on a program,” Taylor said. “I feel like I can do a lot for this offense and I’m ready for anything they give me.”
Nussmeier completed 32 of 44 passes, including a 45-yard touchdown to Kyle Parker down the right sideline, and did not turn the ball over.
“The offensive line did a great job keeping me upright, and guys were making plays from the start,” Nussmeier said. “No moment is too big for us as an offense, and I thought we did a really good job of just focusing, executing, and taking it step by step.”
Freshman running back Caden Durham from LSU had a breakout performance, scoring on a 35-yard catch and run. Josh Williams added a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which gave the Tigers the lead for good. Aaron Anderson recorded six catches for 75 yards.
Ethan Garbers threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns for UCLA (1-2), but he also lost a fumble in the first half and threw an interception in the second half.
“It’s baby steps, but I just like the way my team is fighting. They are being resilient and continually trying to fight during the game,” UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said. “As long as my guys continue to fight and they want to get better, we will get better.”
LSU was favored to win by more than three touchdowns.
Both teams traveled 75 yards on their first drives, with LSU scoring on a 5-yard catch by Zavion Thomas and UCLA responding with a 20-yard catch by Jack Pedersen.
LSU defensive end Bradyn Swinson, who had three sacks the previous week, recorded two sacks against UCLA. His second sack caused Garbers to fumble in Bruins territory, leading to an LSU field goal that made the score 17-10.
However, the Bruins tied the game in the final seconds of the first half with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Logan Loya, which Garbers threw just as he was taking a big hit.
