Fresh off a narrow 24-19 setback against Ole Miss, LSU needed a morale-boosting win, and Saturday against South Carolina provided that. Though it also exposed lingering concerns. The Tigers’ offense struggled to take advantage early, converting just three points off two Gamecock turnovers in the first half.

As Cade Cubelic points straight at it on his Cube Show: “LSU had some real breakdowns in protection. That offensive line continues to struggle, and this is a good front you’re playing now, and Dylan Stewart was good against the run early, so he kind of shut that down. But they ended up finding some one-on-ones with Tret (Dez) Green, the big tall tight end.”

Though Garrett Nussmeier was not terrible in that game, his ball security remains a concern. It marked his first multi-interception outing since tossing two against Alabama last November. He still managed to throw for 254 yards and two touchdowns, helping the 11th-ranked Tigers overcome three turnovers and secure a 20-10 victory over the Gamecocks. “We found a way to win, even though we had some mistakes out there that could at some time be catastrophic,” Kelly acknowledged.

But he also admitted that, “The turnovers, those are details that have to be cleaned up. Tough territory coming out, we’ve got to be much better. We’ve got to set up field position with first downs in those tough territory areas.”

Let’s not forget that better protection and backing for Garrett Nussmeier will only lead to a championship run. And those two interceptions are a result of it. So, if OL fails to protect him, things might get out of hand. “I do think they need some balance to help Garrett Nussmeier, though, because he took some hits in this game, and that can’t keep happening. It just can’t. It cannot keep happening. But he’s also tough. He has had an abdominal injury. He told us he did it in preseason camp. He battled through it. It needed time. The bye-week gave him that,” he added.

Look, LSU’s offensive line continued to be up and down, having trouble creating running lanes for much of the game. Despite that, they found consistency in their running game, gaining a season-best 166 yards on the ground. Even Garrett Nussmeier added on to it, running the ball himself whenever there’s a need. Remember his 23-yard run? His was the longest of the night.

On top of all of this offense showing potential, critical errors hampered them. Three turnovers, stalled drives, and clearly, Nussmeier was the one keeping the offense going. But in the end, Brian Kelly did what he wanted to.

Brian Kelly gets real on catastrophic comment

The LSU Tigers finally got what they needed: an instant push, and their win against South Carolina is that for them. Even Brian Kelly couldn’t hold back his praise for his team. “I was pleased with some things that we did that we have not been doing,” Kelly said. “We ran the ball with more effectiveness and got the ball to Trey-Dez Green, which was important.” Well, the offense was their major weapon, as their top performer, Tret Dez Green, did turn so many heads.

This guy hauled in eight catches for 119 yards and even scored a touchdown in the season quarter. Later, Brian Kelly was also satisfied with how well his offense had developed their passing game to spread their ball perfectly. That’s exactly why quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was also solid against the Gamecocks, as he completed 20 of 33 passes for 254 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

But Kelly didn’t just praise his QB but also made sure South Carolina’s QB couldn’t do much. “We needed to make sure LaNorris Sellers felt us, and we had to maintain pressure against him,” Kelly said. That’s exactly what their defense did, limiting Sellers to just 124 passing yards and 19 rushing yards. But turnovers and missed opportunities were key areas to look into.

Now, recovering from the injury, Garrett Nussmeier looks pumped up, and their focus is on taking down another SEC opponent, Vanderbilt, this week.