Instant Takeaways: LSU Football Powers Past Oklahoma in 37-17 Week 14 Victory

The LSU Tigers (8-4, 5-3) wrapped up the 2024 regular season with a 37-17 victory over Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night in Death Valley.

In a game where the Bayou Bengals shined in all three phases, LSU handled business at home to end the season on a positive note.

Garrett Nussmeier's heroic showing led the way, Whit Weeks made timely plays defensively and special teams success put the Tigers in position to take home the win.

What were the rapid reactions from Saturday night in Baton Rouge?

The Instant Takeaways: LSU Tigers vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Garrett Nussmeier’s Grit Paves the Way

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has had a rollercoaster 2024 season, and despite the rough patches, has become one of the most productive signal-callers in the Southeastern Conference.

After arguably his most complete performance in Week 13 against the Vanderbilt Commodores, all attention shifted to the regular season finale versus the Oklahoma Sooners. How would Nussmeier respond? Would he carry the momentum?

LSU’s QB1 won over the locker room with his grit and fearlessness during the offseason. On Saturday, he showcased why that was the case.

Midway through the second quarter, LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell allowed a sack that resulted in Nussmeier hitting the ground with force.

The sack took Nussmeier out of the game and into the medical tent where he eventually went back to the locker room for X-rays, according to LSU head coach Brian Kelly.

He was 10-for-15 with 87 yards and a touchdown through one and a half quarters with his status looking doubtful.

Then, with less than three minutes to go in the half, Nussmeier marched out of the tunnel, told Kelly he was good to go and returned to the field in Tiger Stadium.

A flip switched for Nussmeier where he clicked on all cylinders. He was utilizing his legs to get first downs, diving across the grass and taking the top off the defense with deep balls to wideout Chris Hilton.

It was as heroic of a performance as LSU could’ve asked for to cap off the regular season in the win column.

Nussmeier ended the night with 277 yards on 22-for-31 passing with three touchdowns through the air. It was as complete of a performance from the Tigers’ signal-caller as LSU has received all season.

Bend, Don’t Break Defense

LSU linebacker Whit Weeks was seemingly shot out of a cannon on every play on Saturday night with his energy rubbing off on his teammates from start to finish.

For Weeks, he ended the night with 15 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack, but it was the energy that paved the way for the defense.

It was a complete performance for coordinator Blake Baker’s unit. The scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story after Oklahoma scored a touchdown on a scoop and score following a strip sack from the Sooners’ defense.

Baker’s group wreaked havoc in the backfield through four quarters with the linebacker trio of Weeks, Greg Penn III and Davhon Keys stepping up when called upon.

Penn logged eight tackles while the true freshman in Keys tallied an impressive nine tackles, one tackle for loss and a sack.

LSU’s defense forced the Sooners into going 4-for-11 on third down while earning only 277 total yards on the day.

Oklahoma signal-caller Jackson Arnold logged 131 rushing yards on 25 carries last week in a victory against Alabama. On Saturday night, LSU held him to 69 total yards on 16 carries.

It was a masterclass from the defense with the second-level making the most of their chances.

Bayou Bengals Shine in all Three Phases

Offensively, it was Garrett Nusssmeier utilizing Chris Hilton Jr. as a deep threat after connecting for a pair of 40+ yard touchdowns, leading the way.

Factor in Josh Williams, Caden Durham, Kyren Lacy, Mason Taylor and CJ Daniels each hauling in three or more receptions and the diversity in the passing game set the tone.

For Durham, his presence was also felt in the run-game after tallying 80 yards on 11 carries in Week 14.

On the other side of the ball, Weeks and Co. were nearly flawless. Aside from a few explosive plays led by Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold, the LSU defense pieced together a masterclass after forcing five punts on the day.

There was seemingly no offensive juice for the Sooners and it was the pressure in the backfield that led the way.

LSU pieced together sheer complementary football against Brent Venables and Co., but the third element of the game clicked as well: Special Teams.

The Tigers finally got in the end-zone on special teams courtesy of LSU wide receiver and return specialist Aaron Anderson taking a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown.

It was as timely as the Tigers could have asked for. After giving up a touchdown and going down 14-10, Anderson dialed up a critical touchdown for the Bayou Bengals to go back up and never look back.

In the kicking game, Damian Ramos was flawless after drilling three kicks from 34, 22 and 32 yards out. A flawless showing on special teams.

Kelly and Co. were magnificent in the regular season finale to finish the season 8-4 while riding a two-game winning streak to wrap up the 2024 season.

Now, LSU will await their bowl game selection with a myriad of options available in either December or January.

More LSU News:

Paul Finebaum: LSU, Brian Kelly in a "Really Bad Spot" Moving Forward

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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