LSU Rolls Past Southeastern, 56–10, Behind Sharp Night from Nussmeier

BATON ROUGE - Tiger Stadium had the feel of a tune-up Saturday night, but LSU made sure to treat it like business. The No. 3 Tigers overwhelmed Southeastern Louisiana 56–10, moving to 4–0 on the season and setting the stage for a big SEC match up next week at Ole Miss.

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier looked in rhythm from the opening drive, finishing 25-for-31 with 273 yards and three touchdowns. After weeks of working back to full health, Nussmeier admitted he felt like himself again "For one, it just looked like we were out there having fun...I'm better." 

Offense Shines

Tight end, Bauer Sharp, hauled in five catches for 73 yards and a score, and running back Ju’Juan Johnson punched in two touchdowns on the ground. Freshman backup Michael Van Buren Jr. also saw extended time in the second half, completing 10 of 12 throws for 122 yards and a touchdown as the Tigers rotated through their depth.

Coach Kelly Stress Standards Over Score 

Head coach Brian Kelly stressed that the performance was about LSU meeting its own standard, not just outmatching a smaller in-state opponent, Southeastern. 

"The goal tonight was to play to the standard, not the opposition,” Kelly said. “We had the better team and the better players, but then it comes down to your execution and the things you do, and I thought we did some good things tonight.”

Kelly praised Nussmeier’s growth as both a passer and runner now that he’s healthier. “You look at the efficiency in which he threw the football … you could see there was a higher level of comfort... now that he’s healthy, he’s able to do that more”stated Coach Kelly.

Defensively, LSU never gave Southeastern a chance to find rhythm, holding the Lions to just 204 total yards and forcing stop after stop on third down. By halftime, the outcome felt inevitable, and the Tigers used the second half to test their depth and rest starters.

Next up, LSU heads to Oxford next Saturday to open SEC play against Ole Miss. This will be a top 10 match up that will be a real test for both teams.