BATON ROUGE, La. — Garrett Nussmeier passed for 237 yards and a touchdown and No. 3 LSU held Louisiana Tech to 154 total yards in a 23-7 victory on Saturday night.
Caden Durham rushed for a 3-yard touchdown for LSU (2-0), which was favored by about five touchdowns but didn’t lead by more than 10 points until late in the third quarter.
LSU’s defense did its part, shutting out the Bulldogs (1-1) until reserve quarterback Blake Baker’s 33-yard scoring pass to Devin Gandy with 4:02 left in the game.
The Tigers outgained Louisiana Tech by 211 yards and LSU held a large advantage in time of possession, 36:52 to 23:08.
Barion Brown caught eight passes for 94 yards for the Tigers, while Aaron Anderson had eight catches for 73 yards.
But the Bulldogs frustrated Nussmeier and Co. on a handful of possessions, forcing a turnover, three punts and four field goal attempts, one of which failed.
On a day when Ohio State, Florida State and Texas Tech took halftime leads of 48 or more points, the Tigers struggled to distance themselves from their opponent.
LSU’s opening drive ended on Nussmeier’s first interception of the season when his deep pass was tipped and caught by Bulldogs safety Michael Richard.
LSU’s next drive ended when Damian Ramos’ 51-yard field goal attempt missed wide right.
The game remained scoreless until Nussmeier’s short TD pass to Nic Anderson in the last minute of the first quarter. Ramos added a short field goal in the second quarter, and there was no more scoring until Durham’s TD with 1:58 left in the third quarter.
That led LSU coach Brian Kelly to play many starters for most of the game.
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The takeaway
Louisiana Tech: The Bulldogs’ defense, which opened with a shutout over Southeastern Louisiana a week earlier, looked sound in keeping the game close well into the third quarter. Tech’s special teams were solid, too, pinning LSU at or inside its own 10-yard line four times on punts.
LSU: LSU’s defense, impressive in holding Clemson scoreless in the second half of a Week 1 triumph, extended its shutout streak to nearly six quarters before allowing the Bulldogs to score.
Injuries
LSU had several players go down with apparent leg injuries. Center Braelin Moore limped off with field after the first offensive snap and did not return. Tight end Trey’Dez Green, who had a touchdown catch at Clemson the previous week, limped off the field with help from staff early in the fourth quarter. Edge rusher Jimari Butler limped off with help late in the fourth quarter.
Up next
Louisiana Tech: The Bulldogs host New Mexico State on Saturday.
LSU: The Tigers host Florida on Saturday in the SEC opener for both teams.