The 2024 LSU Spring Game took place on Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium as the self-proclaimed “Cathedral of College Football” celebrates its 100th anniversary.
The scoring system of the contest was quite unique, with the final score resulting in a tie at 34-34.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the game:
Nussmeier is that guy
The junior quarterback, now the starter after learning behind Jayden Daniels the previous two seasons, looked fantastic on Saturday. Now, take that for what it’s worth considering he was playing against his own defense, but he found Mississippi State transfer Zavion Thomas for a 45-yard touchdown before a 59-yard strike to Kyren Lacy. The Lake Charles native finished the day 7-7 for 187 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“I thought he did a really nice job,” head coach Brian Kelly said in the postgame press conference. “The throw when he stepped up in the pocket (touchdown to Thomas) was quintessential for what he’s able to do and he keeps his eyes down the field…I thought he was clean, he was efficient, and he did the things that we expected him to do.”
Young talent stepping up
LSU got strong showings in the Spring Game from younger pieces of their puzzle, including sophomore running back Kaleb Jackson breaking a 32-yard touchdown early on. Zachary product Kylin Jackson (1 sack, 1 PBU) and early enrollee Gabe Reliford (2 sacks, TFL) made plays throughout the afternoon as well.
Late in the contest, four-star quarterback recruit Collin Hurley fired a 64-yard touchdown to Khai Prean, a freshman from St. James High School.
Kelly referred to the Spring Game as an “audition” for the younger prospects to make a strong first impression and potentially get playing time in the fall.
Defense showed potential
After a very rough 2023 season defensively, one where many people feel like the defensive performance held LSU out of the College Football Playoff, there was a total overhaul of the defensive staff, including bringing back former assistants Blake Baker as defensive coordinator, Bo Davis as defensive line coach, and Corey Raymond to coach the secondary.
The defensive unit as a whole showed a lot of promise in each level, but the newness of the system certainly showed and there should be a learning curve given to the group throughout the summer. The defense should be improved compared to the year before, but we’ll see just how much once September rolls around.