COLUMBIA, SC – Garrett Nussmeier knew he had to avoid the mistakes if No. 16 LSU wanted to complete a comeback and win.
Nussmeier led one final touchdown drive that ended with Josh Williams’ 2-yard touchdown with 1:12 left as the Tigers overcame a 17-0 deficit to beat South Carolina 36-33 on Saturday.
Nussmeier had intercepted a pass at the goal line earlier in the series, the latest of several errors he and his Tiger teammates made that led to him being behind for a long time this time too.
“You want me to worry about the interception with three minutes and 45 seconds left to win the game?” Nussmeier said. “No. Let’s wash it away and win the football game.”
It’s the attitude and mindset of LSU coach Brian Kelly that was evident in his Tigers (2-1) as they battled back to win their Southeastern Conference opener and their eighth straight victory over South Carolina (2-1, 1-1).
“I’m so proud of the determination and perseverance of this team,” Kelly said. “They won’t give up. It’s in their DNA. They won’t let go of the rope.”
The Tigers trailed 17-0 and were still trailing for the final two minutes when Williams fired a handoff through a wide gap on the left side into the end zone for the winning goal. The LSU players jumped for joy, but it was probably just as much relief after trailing for most of the game.
And LSU made a lot of mistakes. Nussmeier had an interception and a fumble after a bad snap. The Gamecocks blocked a punt and the Tigers failed to get an extra point after another bad snap. South Carolina held LSU scoreless after a first-and-goal 2 yards from the end zone in the third quarter.
“It’s by no means perfect. But it’s still early in the season,” Kelly said.
Nussmeier finished with 285 yards passing and two touchdowns, while Caden Durham ran for 98 yards and scored two touchdowns.
For much of the game, it looked like South Carolina was going to come away with an unexpected victory.
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers ran for two touchdowns, including a 75-yard run, the longest by a quarterback in South Carolina history. Arkansas transfer Raheim Sanders scored a 66-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the Gamecocks back on top.
South Carolina had one last chance to tie the game when they advanced to LSU’s 39-yard line with 5 seconds left, but kicker Alex Herrera pushed his 49-yard scoring attempt wide left and LSU players ran to the sideline to celebrate.
Sellers, who ran for 88 yards and threw for 113 yards, left just before halftime with an ankle injury. Sellers and coach Shane Beamer both said it was not serious.
Sanders ran 143 yards and scored two points.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
