New year, same results for LSU football in Week 1.
For the third consecutive season under Brian Kelly, the Tigers were unable to start the season off with a victory as they fell to No. 23 USC 27-20 Sunday night in Las Vegas at the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic.
After all, this is the risk of scheduling a top-25 opponent to kick off the season.
REQUIRED READING: LSU football drops another season opener as defense can’t hold on in loss to USC
LSU was driving on offense late in the fourth quarter, and got into the red zone by the time of the two-minute timeout. But first-year starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and the Tigers weren’t able to score a go-ahead touchdown. Instead, they settled for three points and the field goal to tie the game at 20-20, giving the Trojans the ball back with 1:47 remaining.
USC marched down the field on a two-minute drill to pull out the victory. The Trojans’ game-winning touchdown run from Woody Marks was set up by a 15-yard targeting penalty from LSU safety Jardin Gilbert, who was ejected from the game.
While he was unable to lead LSU to a game-winning drive, Nussmeier impressed in his second career start as he completed 29 of 38 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers will now return home to Baton Rouge for their home opener against Nicholls on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. CT.
With that, here’s a look at how far LSU could drop in the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 after its loss to USC:
LSU football rankings: Where will Tigers fall in top 25?
While it’s a “good” loss on paper for LSU — as USC is a ranked opponent and will likely move up in the polls itself — the Tigers will certainly fall back a few spots come the release of the Week 2 polls on Tuesday.
The Tigers did not get any help from the teams closest to them in the polls — those ranked No. 10 through No. 20 — as…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/lsu-football-rankings-where-tigers-043033654.html
Author : The Daily Advertiser
Publish date : 2024-09-02 04:30:33
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