Nicholls State Colonels vs. Louisiana State Tigers Pick & Prediction SEPTEMBER 7th 2024
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Preview and Prediction
After losing to Southern Cal last week, LSU has now suffered defeat in its last five season openers, including the past three under head coach Brian Kelly.
Despite the 27-20 loss last Sunday in Las Vegas, Kelly attempted to maintain a positive outlook as he looked ahead to the No. 18 Tigers' upcoming home opener against FCS opponent Nicholls on Saturday night.
"We will undoubtedly become a stronger football team as a result of this experience," Kelly stated. "Although it would have been preferable to come out on top, this loss has forced us to recognize our slim margin for error. We are in the process of developing a cohesive team, and this game was a valuable learning opportunity. As coaches, we now have a better understanding of our team's strengths and weaknesses, and we will strive to improve moving forward."
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LSU is facing a similar situation to the first two seasons under Kelly, when the Tigers were defeated in their openers by Florida State.
In both of those seasons, LSU rebounded with a win in their home opener against an FCS opponent from their home state. Last year, the Tigers dominated Grambling State 72-10, beginning a streak of three consecutive victories and six wins in seven games. Two years ago, LSU defeated Southern 65-17, kicking off a four-game winning streak.
Both of those teams went on to win 10 games, and Kelly's first team competed in the SEC Championship Game.
"I have a strong sense of confidence in this team; they have the potential to be great," Kelly declared. "We have some work to do, but we will get this team to a point where we excel in all three phases of the game."
The Tigers' running game did not meet Kelly's expectations, despite having a veteran offensive line that was expected to be a strong point. LSU gained 117 yards on the ground, but aside from a 39-yard run by John Emery Jr., they averaged just 3.1 yards on 25 carries.
"We need to be more effective with our running game," Kelly emphasized. "When it's third down and everyone knows we want to run the ball, we need to be creative and execute at a high level. We did not execute to the best of our abilities...this is not solely the players' responsibility, it is also on the coaches to improve."
The Colonels are coming off a 25-17 loss to Louisiana Tech in their season opener and will now face another in-state opponent in LSU for the first time in school history.
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"We did not perform as well as we had hoped," Nicholls coach Tim Rebowe told HTV10 Houma. "However, there were many positive aspects to take away from the game. Our players showed great effort and determination until the very end, and we were within one score in the fourth quarter."
Now, the Colonels will make the 70-mile journey from Thibodaux to Baton Rouge to take on the most prominent program in Louisiana.
"This is an exciting opportunity for our community and our school," Rebowe shared. "Our main focus is on ourselves and our own performance. If we do that, the game will take care of itself."
Nicholls State Colonels vs. Louisiana State Tigers Recap SEP 7TH 2024
Garrett Nussmeier threw six touchdown passes, three of which went to Kyren Lacy, and No. 18 LSU shook off Nicholls for a 44-21 victory Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
Nussmeier completed 27 of 37 passes for 302 yards and Lacy finished with five catches for 65 yards as the Tigers (1-1) rebounded from a season-opening loss to USC in Las Vegas six days earlier.
Collin Guggenheim rushed 25 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns to lead the FCS Colonels (0-2).
On the third play of the second half, Guggenheim broke free for a 67-yard touchdown run that got the Colonels within 23-21.
LSU answered on the ensuing possession with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier to Lacy to push the lead to 30-21.
On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers recovered a fumble at the Nicholls 41, leading to a 7-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier to Lacy and a 37-21 lead.
Nussmeier's 4-yard touchdown pass to Zavion Thomas increased the lead to 44-21 at the end of the third quarter.
The Colonels' first possession ended with a snap sailing over the head of punter Kylan Dupre, who chased down the ball and kicked it through the end zone for a safety that gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Thomas returned the ensuing free kick 51 yards, leading to Nussmeier's 1-yard touchdown pass to Tre'Dez Green for a 9-0 lead.
On the ensuing possession Nicholls drove 84 yards in 13 plays and Guggenheim ran 2 yards for a touchdown that trimmed the lead to 9-7 at the end of the first quarter.
LSU increased the lead to 16-7 when Nussmeier threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Lacy early in the second quarter.
Wide receiver Quincy Brown threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lee Negrotto to pull the Colonels within 16-14.
The Tigers needed just five plays to answer with a 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with Nussmeier's 4-yard touchdown pass to Ju'Juan Johnson that increased the lead to 23-14 at halftime.