In what was an ugly game for LSU, Tennessee defeated the Tigers 40-13.
After starting its third straight SEC game with a multi-score deficit, this one proved to be insurmountable for LSU, as every opportunity it had to decrease Tennessee’s lead was met with the Tigers shooting themselves in the foot. Once the opportunities stopped, the Volunteers started pouring it on.
It started with two special teams miscues, as a muffed punt by Jack Bech and a long Tennessee punt return each gave the Volunteers the ball within 30 yards of scoring. Those mistakes resulted in 10 quick points for LSU’s opponent and forced the Tigers to play risky in fear of falling behind if they couldn’t score.
They had a few solid drives in the second quarter when they desperately needed to score, but one ended with a turnover on downs, and another ended on a sack that took LSU out of four–down territory. It took until late in the second to finally get on the board to decrease its deficit to 13, but a questionable decision to go for it on fourth down on its next possession allowed the Vols to extend that to 16 right before the break.
When the second half began, Tennessee picked up where it left off and LSU struggled to put anything together, eventually allowing the game to get away from them. They were outscored 14-0 in the third, ultimately losing 40-13.
The Tigers managed some offensive success, with Daniels completing 74% of his passes for 300 yards and a touchdown and interception and rushing for 38 yards on 16 attempts. He led the way for the Tigers in rushing though, as their backfield had trouble getting anything going.
Kayshon Boutte caught his first touchdown pass of the season, but Malik Nabers led the way in receiving, finishing with six catches for 80 yards. Unfortunately, LSU’s offensive success didn’t come anywhere close to Tennessee’s, as the Vols finished another game with over 500 offensive yards.
LSU travels to Gainesville for its next game, facing the Gators at 6 p.m. next Saturday. It desperately needs to bounce back if it wants to remain relevant in the race for the SEC.
