No. 9 LSU went on the road and shocked No. 4 Clemson 17-10 to pick up a crucial road victory and firmly cement its place in the national championship picture. The battle went down to the final minutes, but LSU coach Brian Kelly finally picked up his first season-opening victory as Tigers coach.
Tied 10-10 at the start of the fourth quarter, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier put together a legacy drive. After he was roughed on a completion to Aaron Anderson, Nussmeier ran for a third-down conversion and then found tight end Trey’Dez Green for an 8-yard touchdown to give LSU a lead it would never surrender.
Clemson had three more chances to get back into the end zone, turning it over on downs once and going three-and-out to set up a pivotal final drive. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik completed a big-time pass to T.J. Moore while taking a shot to lead a drive into the red zone. Facing fourth-and-4, LSU defender Harold Perkins brought pressure and forced an incompletion to end the game.
Playing against a phenomenal Clemson defense, Nussmeier stepped up big, completing 28 of 38 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown in the win. Anderson was his top target, catching six passes for 99 yards, including a 39-yarder. Running back Caden Durham went for 74 yards and a touchdown. Klubnik was strong, throwing for 230 yards, with four receivers hitting four catches. However, the lack of running game (20 carries for 31 yards) stood tall in the biggest moments.
Read on below for takeaways from LSU’s season-opening win over Clemson on Saturday.
