UCLA
1-2 , 0-1
LSU
3-1 , 1-0
UCLA Football Falls at No. 16 LSU, 34-17
September 21, 2024 | Football
BATON ROUGE, La. โ The UCLA football team lost at No. 16 LSU, 34-17, before a crowd of 100,315 at Tiger Stadium in a nationally-televised non-conference showdown.
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In the second all-time matchup between UCLA (1-2) and LSU, the host Tigers (3-1) outscored the Bruins by a 17-0 margin in the second half. UCLA was playing its first-ever game in the state of Louisiana and bounced back from a 17-10 second quarter deficit to head into halftime tied, 17-17.
"The scoreboard is still the bottom line, but the fact that we are able to execute like I have seen us do in practice, it just feels good," said UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster. "It's a two-half game and it's four quarters, and we showed up for two of them. When you are playing against a good team like that, you have to show up for all four."
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Bruins' quarterback Ethan Garbers finished Saturday's contest having completed 22 of 36 passes for 281 yards, including two touchdowns and one interception.
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UCLA's Logan Loya and Rico Flores Jr. each totaled four receptions, as Loya finished with a team-leading 46 reception yards (and one touchdown).
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LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier completed 32 of 43 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns. LSU's Mason Taylor caught a team-leading eight passes for 77 yards.
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The Tigers pushed ahead in the second half, snapping a 17-17 halftime deadlock with a 2-yard touchdown rush from Josh Williams at the 6:11 mark in the third quarter. LSU added to its second-half cushion early in the fourth quarter, as an 11-play and 92-yard drive ended with a 35-yard strike from Nussmeier to Caden Durham with 11:15 remaining in the game.
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LSU added to its margin with Damian Ramos' second field goal of the day, knocking through a 32-yard attempt with 5:48 to play in the final quarter.
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With UCLA trailing LSU, 17-10, through the final four minutes of the first half, Garbers connected with Loya for an 11-yard game-tying touchdown with two seconds to play before halftime. Garbers' second passing touchdown of the day tied the game, 17-17.
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The first 17 minutes of Saturday's game featured multiple lead changes. LSU took a 7-0 cushion on its first offensive possession before UCLA secured a 10-7 advantage late in the opening quarter. LSU regained the lead, at 14-10, less than 90 seconds into the second quarter.
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Trailing 7-0 less than three minutes into the contest, UCLA drove downfield with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Facing a 4th-and-2 situation on LSU's 33-yard line, Garbers completed a 13-yard reception to T.J. Harden before firing a 20-yard touchdown strike to tight end Jack Pedersen (his first collegiate touchdown reception).
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The Bruins pushed ahead, 10-7, on a 47-yard field goal by Mateen Bhaghani with 17 seconds left in the first quarter. Bhaghani's field goal capped a seven-play dive that covered 27 yards.
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LSU responded with a 45-yard touchdown pass down the sideline from Nussmeier to Kyle Parker on the Tigers' next offensive series, helping LSU take a 14-10 lead with 13:57 left in the second quarter. The four-play drive by LSU covered 75 yards in 1:20.
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LSU pushed its margin to 17-10 with a 22-yard field goal from Damian Ramos at the 3:45 mark in the second quarter.
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The Bruins will return to action against Oregon in a Big Ten Conference matchupย on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. (PT) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. UCLA's home game against the Ducks will be nationally televised on FOX.ย
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Team Stats
UCL 0, LSU 7
LSU - Thomas,Zavion 5 yd pass from Nussmeier,Garrett (Ramos,Damian kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:41
UCL 7, LSU 7
UCL - Pedersen,Jack 20 yd pass from Garbers,Ethan (Bhaghani,Mateen kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:09
UCL 10, LSU 7
UCL - Bhaghani,Mateen 47 yd field goal 7 plays, 27 yards, TOP 03:12
UCL 10, LSU 14
LSU - Parker,Kyle 45 yd pass from Nussmeier,Garrett (Ramos,Damian kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:20
UCL 10, LSU 17
LSU - Ramos,Damian 22 yd field goal 7 plays, 33 yards, TOP 03:01
UCL 17, LSU 17
UCL - Loya,Logan 11 yd pass from Garbers,Ethan (Bhaghani,Mateen kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:43
UCL 17, LSU 24
LSU - Williams,Josh 2 yd run (Ramos,Damian kick), 14 plays, 96 yards, TOP 06:33
UCL 17, LSU 31
LSU - Durham,Caden 35 yd pass from Nussmeier,Garrett (Ramos,Damian kick) 11 plays, 92 yards, TOP 05:15
UCL 17, LSU 34
LSU - Ramos,Damian 32 yd field goal 8 plays, 31 yards, TOP 03:37
