BATON ROUGE – Real freshman quarterback TJ Finley shot for 265 yards and two touchdowns while running back Tyrion Davis-Price added 135 yards to lead LSU passing South Carolina, 52-24, on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium.
Playing at home for the first time since the season opened four weeks earlier, LSU (2-2) scored on the ground, in the air, in defense and on special teams to roll around South Carolina (2-3).
After Gamecocks reduced the advantage of the LSU 31-10 range to two scores, LSU Trey Palmer scored in an initial 93-yard comeback that broke a 39-year gap between LSU’s touchdowns at Tiger Stadium. The most recent was from Eric Martin, 100 yards against Kentucky on October 17, 1981.
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Finley, who became the eighth true first-year quarterback to start for LSU since World War II, completed 17 of 21 passes for 265 yards with an interception and two touchdowns for the wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. Finley also ran for LSU’s first touchdown – a 1-yard half during the first quarter. Marshall ended with six receptions for 88 yards, while he tied the program record for consecutive games with a touchdown reception at seven.
In addition to Davis-Price’s career night, John Emery Jr. started and ran 18 times for 88 yards with a 3 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Jaray Jenkins he also took three passes for 76 yards.
Defensively, LSU real freshman cornerback Eli Ricks intercepted a pass for the third time in his four games as Tiger, this time returning the pickoff 45 yards for a touchdown that put LSU ahead 31-10 just before the break.
Another true freshman, LSU defensive end BJ Ojulari, had three of the five LSU bags, while the elderly JaCoby Stevens and Jabril Cox led the Tigers with seven tackles each.
Although the dispute included only one punt (from South Carolina), the Tigers defense stiffened in their half of the field. LSU forced four field goal attempts – three were lost on the 37, 17 and 23 yard lines – and another spin on the downhill LSU 41.
The game was officially “Homecoming” at LSU, however, the 2020 campus celebration was silenced due to the pandemic. During an intermission ceremony in the student section of Tiger Stadium, Anna Jones and Justin Lorio were announced as queen and king.
LSU returns to action on Saturday, October 31, when he travels to The Plains to face Auburn at 2:30 pm CT on CBS and the LSU Sports Radio Network.
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Freshman Quarterback TJ Finley, making his first university appearance in his career, led the Tigers to a score in their initial run, moving 75 yards in 16 moves, with the march culminating in a sneaky attempt by Finley, giving LSU a 7-0 lead with 7: 34 remaining in the first quarter.
South Carolina responded in its first offensive possession, driving 75 yards in three moves and leveling the score in a 45-yard run running Kevin Harris at the 6:40 mark of the first period.
LSU regained leadership in his next tenure as Cade York hit a 27-yard field goal, crowning a 66-yard march and 10 games that ended with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter. The move was highlighted by a 26-yard Finley pass to the wide receiver Jaray Jenkins this gave the Tigers a first descent on the Carolina 33-yard line.
After the LSU defense recorded a three-and-out that featured an external linebacker sack BJ Ojulari, the Tigers quickly drove 65 yards in nine moves, completing the march and increasing the lead to 17-7 in a seven-yard TD attack from Finley to the wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr.
South Carolina placekicker Parker White missed a 55-yard field goal in the middle of the second period, leaving the Tigers with a first down on their own 37-yard line.
However, Carolina’s defensive back Israel Mukuamu intercepted a pass from Finley and returned him to the LSU’s 34-yard line. The Tigers’ defense did not allow a first down, and White hit a 45-yard field goal to reduce the LSU lead to 17-10 with 5:22 remaining before the break.
The Tigers increased their lead to 24-10 at the 3:43 mark in the second quarter, when Finley hit Marshall Jr. with a 51-yard pass, closing a 75-yard five-ball possession.
Marshall Jr. tied the LSU record for touchdown receptions in consecutive games (7). His record spans two seasons – the last three games of 2019 and the first four games of 2020. Marshall Jr. tied the school mark also held by Dwayne Bowe (2005) and Jarvis Landry (2012-13).
LSU cornerback Eli Ricks took a pass from Collin Hill on the Gamecocks’ next ball possession, and the freshman returned 45 yards for a touchdown, giving the Tigers a 31-10 2:43 cushion before the break. The move marked LSU’s second choice 6 this year – linebacker Jabril Cox returned an interception for a score at the opening of the Tigers season against the State of Mississippi.
South Carolina drove to the Tigers’ 17-yard line in their final possession in the first half, but White went a long way in a 34-yard field goal, and LSU went into the locker room with a 31-10 lead at halftime.
Finley made 14 of 18 in the first half for 216 yards and two touchdowns. LSU running back John Emery Jr. he ran 14 times for 76 yards, an average of 5.4 yards per load, and Marshall took six passes for 88 yards and two scores.
LSU accumulated 330 yards of total attack in the first half, limiting Gamecocks to 188.
In their second-half possession, South Carolina drove 74 yards in nine moves, reducing the deficit to 31-17 in the TD burst from a Harris yard.
The Tigers retaliated in a flash, as Trey Palmer returned the next 93-yard kickoff for a touchdown, marking LSU’s first initial TD return at Tiger Stadium since October 17, 1981, when Eric Martin brought back a 100-yard kick for a score against Kentucky.
The comeback
In a sprint to the right to receive the unstable line-drive kick, Palmer muffled the ball near the numbers on the right side of the north side of the field near the LSU 5-yard line. When the ball bounced twice, Palmer turned his back on defense to recover at 7. He caught a block by Josh Williams at 11, dodged a diving tackle at 13, overtook a Gamecock approaching at 17, while Chris Curry and Nick Storz ran interference on a defender on 21, and tilted slightly to the left on 32 to avoid the South Carolina kick. Jared Small occupied the last Gamecocks security, Palmer planted his foot on the ground at LSU 36 and ran sideways along the 40-yard line before turning the corner at the right hash marks near LSU 41. Palmer then ran at an angle along the left side of the Eye of the Tiger, crossed the left hash on USC 48 and passed five Gamecocks along the left sideline to score a point inside the south end zone pole.
Found the impulse …
TIGERS TOUCHDOWN!?? https: //t.co/w9BVMGkob2 pic.twitter.com/k7ER9KEWKP
– LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 25, 2020
LSU running back Tyrion Davis-Price reached the payout of four yards to the top of a 77-yard march in eight moves, giving the Tigers a 45-17 lead at the 4:12 mark of the third period. The move was highlighted by Price’s 35-yard run to the Gamecocks’ four-yard line.
The Tigers’ 45 points in three quarters were the second highest total of three periods in LSU history. Tigers’ maximum is 59 points from three quarters set last season at Vanderbilt.
The Tigers added another score at the 9:44 mark of the fourth period, with Emery Jr. capped 58 yards, 10-play drive with a three-yard jump to the end zone.
The participation was announced as 21,855. Tiger Stadium remained at 25 percent capacity due to restrictions on COVID-19.