LSU Tigers at Clemson Tigers

Garrett Nussmeier leads No. 9 LSU's rally for 17-10 season-opening win at No. 4 Clemson

Nussmeier, who eclipsed 4,000 yards passing in his first year as a starter in 2024 after biding his time behind Jayden Daniels, got better as game went on, throwing for 134 of his 230 yards in the second half while leading two touchdown drives.

Caden Durham rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown for LSU, which held the ball for all but nine minutes of the second half.

LSU, retooled with a highly touted class of transfers, showed the mental and physical toughness that coach Brian Kelly was seeking after trailing 10-3 at the half.

LSU's stifling defense, due in part to their improved personnel which allowed Kelly to play more man-to-man defense, limited first-team preseason Associated Press All-America quarterback Cade Klubnik to 19-of-38 passing for 230 yards and an interception.

He was sacked only twice, but pressured relentlessly.

“I think getting him out of the pocket and primarily got him out of rhythm,” Kelly said. “I thought we did that very, very well and we took his running game away. Any quarterback that doesn’t have a running game, it becomes predictable and we had some predictable down the distances because they couldn’t run the football.”

Clemson had just 31 yards on 20 carries.

“We didn’t play anywhere near where we are capable of playing on offense,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We have to own that.”

Clemson's defense gave Klubnik two chances late to tie the game after coming up with big stops.

The first drive ended in a three-and-out, but Klubnik got Clemson to the LSU 15 on the final drive before being flushed from the pocket and being forced to throw a pass up for grabs with a defender in his face on fourth-and-4. It fell incomplete, setting off an LSU celebration.

“I’m glad that the game got put on our shoulders and we were able to get it done,” LSU linebacker Whit Weeks said.

It didn't help that Clemson that they Antonio Williams, a second-team preseason AP All-American, to an injury early in the first quarter. He did not return and Swinney offered no timetable for his return.

It was expected to be a high-scoring matchup featuring a pair of Heisman Trophy hopefuls at QB and two of the nation’s top offenses from a year ago.

But defenses set the tone early, with the only first-half touchdown coming on a 1-yard plunge by Clemson's Adam Randall on a fourth-down gamble by coach Dabo Swinney. Clemson’s defense forced two fumbles by LSU wide receivers in the first half, including Ronan Hanafin’s strip of Chris Hilton Jr. at the Clemson 13 in the closing seconds, preserving a 10-3 halftime lead.

“I look up at the scoreboard and they say like that Dabo was like 115-11 when he’s leading at the half,” Kelly said. “I’m like, well, it’s going to be 12, but we got to go do something about it. We had to stop making those mistakes — and we did.”

The momentum changed in LSU's favor early in the third quarter after Clemson’s Nolan Hauser, the hero of last year’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship win, missed a 48-yard field goal.

Nussmeier began carving up Clemson's defense on the ensuing drive with completions of 36 and 14 yards to Aaron Anderson. LSU missed a field goal, but came back to score on its next possession when Nussmeier found Green in the right corner of the end zone.

Ring of honor Clemson honored its latest Ring of Honor member, Michael Dean Perry, at halftime.

Takeaways LSU: The Tigers' run defense was dominant, holding Clemson to 31 yards on 20 carries.

Clemson: The injury to Williams hurt, but receiver is one of the team's deepest positions with Swinney saying earlier this offseason that any of six players could start. That depth will be tested moving forward.

Up next Both teams are back in action next Saturday, with LSU at home against Louisiana Tech, and Clemson hosting Troy.