The Bengal Tiger LIVE Thread: Final - LSU 34, UCLA 17
Saturday’s Week 4 college football matchup between UCLA and LSU is set for a 2:45 p.m. CT kickoff in Tiger Stadium, with the game set to be televised on ABC.
Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), Katie George (sideline) are on hand as the broadcast crew for LSU’s second home game of the 2024 season, which continues the program’s celebration of the 100th year of Tiger Stadium.
LSU opened the day as 24-point favorites over UCLA per multiple sports books as the Tigers look to keep momentum rolling after a pair of wins over the past two weeks, most recently grabbing a comeback victory in Columbia in LSU’s first SEC game of the season. UCLA beat Hawaii 16-13 in the season opener before losing at home to Indiana 42-13 a week ago.
The Bengal Tiger staff will join Tigers fans in the weekly “LIVE Thread” to discuss the game snap-by-snap. Fans can also check back to this story for scoring updates after each quarter.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LIVE THREAD
The LSU Injury Report
LSU has two season-ending injuries this year and a handful of players who have been battling some injuries in recent weeks. Against South Carolina, the Tigers were without safety Jordan Allen, wide receiver Chris Hilton, linebacker West Weeks, and defensive end Dashawn Womack.
This week, LSU returns home to face UCLA on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. CT in a non-conference game and head coach Brian Kelly has provided an update on the players on the injury report at this point.
WR Chris Hilton – Probable (Bone bruise)
DT Jalen Lee – Out (Shoulder)
LB West Weeks – Questionable
The assumption is that Womack and Allen will be cleared and good to go this week as the Tigers take on the Bruins, but the big news is the potential return of Hilton after missing the first three games of the season.
In fall camp Hilton was a starting receiver and someone LSU was hoping to rely on with his speed this season. Instead, the Tigers have struggled to be as explosive as they’ve hoped early this year, despite an efficient passing game.
“He’s been in the program three years so he adds experience, he knows the offense really well,” Kelly said. “It’s easy to talk about speed and he certainly has it, but what emerged late in the season was tracking the ball down the field. That’s an element we’re hopeful we start to see more of, although we did a much better job against South Carolina pushing the ball down the field. You can’t be out for a month and then show up and start tearing it up. It takes a while for him and I hope everyone’s expectations where he can’t come in and just pick up where he left off. It’s going to take a few weeks to get him back to where he was, but he’s going to help us. He’s going to be a main player in what we do before the season is over.”
Hilton’s speed is a welcome addition to the Tigers’ receiver room, but throughout his career, injuries have kept the Zachary product on the sidelines more often than not. Last year was a revelation when he played all but two games, but this year he’s already been limited in his fourth season at LSU.
The passing game continues to thrive with Garrett Nussmeier as the quarterback, as Nussmeier has passed for 895 yards and 10 touchdowns on 69.8 percent passing. Considering LSU has two non-conference games before Ole Miss comes to Baton Rouge on Oct. 12, there’s time for Hilton to get back in the swing of things and contribute when it matters most.
