How it Happened: LSU beats South Carolina after trailing 17-0

LSU went on the road in Columbia and escaped the Southeastern Conference opener with a wild win that brought all the twists and turns imaginable.

The Tigers went down 17-0 less than three minutes into the second quarter, which came after the LSU offense managed just seven total yards in the first quarter and the defense gave up 11 first downs.

From there, LSU started to buckle in and chip away at South Carolina’s lead.

And when the Tigers needed a spark, the first name to deliver on the scoreboard was true freshman running back Caden Durham, who cut the lead to 10 points after taking his second collegiate carry for a 26-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

The LSU defense forced one of three turnovers in the game, which led to a Damian Ramos field goal to trim South Carolina’s lead to 17-10 with less than five minutes until halftime.

Just when it felt like LSU was grabbing momentum, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers needed just one play to run 75 yards for the touchdown – which put the Gamecocks back up by double-digits.

LSU answered with a 6-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that resulted in the first catch of the day for Kyren Lacy, which came on a 12-yard scoring grab with 80 seconds left in the first half. The Tigers mishandled the snap and hold on the extra point, which put the score at 24-16 headed into halftime.

Still, in a half where it felt everything had gone wrong, LSU still had kept it to a one-score game.

LSU got the ball first to begin the second half, but the Tigers came up with nothing after driving 74 yards in nine plays to get to the South Carolina 1-yard line before being unable to punch it in on the ground and turning it over on a failed fourth down pass attempt.

The defense for LSU stepped up to hold South Carolina to just one total yard of offense in the third quarter, who operated with veteran transfer Robbie Ashford at quarterback after starter LaNorris Sellers went down with an injury to close out the first half.

Meanwhile, the Tigers had gone back to Durham to find points. This time, the true freshman out of Duncanville – who was ranked as the No. 5 running back on the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2024 class – punched it end from nine yards out for his second touchdown of the day. After a failed two-point conversion, South Carolina’s lead was 24-22 with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter.

LSU’s offense then went on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that put the ball at the 2-yard line to begin the fourth quarter, and the play call from offensive coordinator Joe Sloan got tight end Mason Taylor wide open in the end zone for the go-ahead score.

With the Tigers up 29-24, another long play felt like a dagger for LSU’s chances. On the third snap of the drive, running back Rocket Sanders took off for a 66-yard touchdown run to give the Gamecocks the lead, once more.

Three minutes later, a South Carolina field goal brought the score to 33-29 with a little more than 10 minutes left in the game.

And as wild as the game had been to that point, the final 10 minutes brought even more craziness. After a quick punt from LSU, the Tigers forced a huge turnover on defense to give LSU the ball at the South Carolina 12-yard line. The result was an interception with six minutes left on the clock, but the pick-6 was called back after South Carolina was flagged for a blindside hit on Nussmeier during the return.

Once more, LSU’s defense stepped up to force the three-and-out, and the offense got the ball back down four points with less than four minutes to play.

8 plays and 55 yards later, running back Josh Williams punched the ball in from the 2-yard line to give LSU the 36-33 lead.

The Tigers came up with a sack on Ashford to back South Carolina up to 3rd-and-8 with 48 seconds remaining, but the backup quarterback delivered with a 31-yard pass play to keep the drive alive, then a 15-yard run to put the Gamecocks near field goal position. After an incomplete pass and a 1-yard run, South Carolina called a timeout with five seconds left and down three points.

With a chance to send the game into overtime, South Carolina kicker Alex Herrera – who had hit a 42-yard field goal earlier in the quarter – missed his 49-yard attempt as time expired.

Finally, the rollercoaster morning turned afternoon for LSU in Columbia ended with a 36-33 win.