Junior tight end Mason Taylor was incredibly productive with six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown, while redshirt sophomore Aaron Anderson continued to shine with five catches of his own for 96 yards.
“The thing that’s extraordinary about him is his yards after the catch,” Kelly said of Taylor. “He has a great relationship with Nussmeier. He’s done a lot of things for us that sometimes go unnoticed.”
LSU defensive end Bradyn Swinson was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year after putting together his best performance as a Tiger with seven pressures, five tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. Swinson, who spoke to the media on Tuesday, credits his coaching staff for the progress on the defensive line.
“Bo Davis and Coach Peoples,” Swinson said. “They develop the mindset. They help us take the steps to where we want to go.”
The Tigers are expected to get redshirt junior receiver Chris Hilton back from injury, but in a limited capacity, according to coach Kelly. The Zachary native has 415 yards on 22 catches and three touchdowns in his LSU career.
UCLA is led by senior quarterback Ethan Garbers, who has rushed for 409 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions through three weeks. Garbers is also the team’s leading runner with 68 yards on 14 carries. Rico Flores Jr. is the Bruins’ leading receiver with 133 yards on just five receptions and one touchdown.
LSU enters the UCLA game averaging 33.3 points and 406.7 total yards per game (104.3 rushing, 302.3 passing). Nussmeier leads the SEC and is No. 2 nationally with 10 touchdown passes, while wide receiver Kyren Lacy leads the league with five touchdown receptions. Mason Taylor became LSU’s all-time leading tight end with 91 receptions after catching six passes for 58 yards against the Gamecocks.
“I think you have to look at it from that perspective,” Kelly said. “They’ve worked so well and they know they’ve prepared so well. Their concern is that they didn’t play the way they wanted to play. They were still able to overcome so many mistakes against a really good football team. That really gave the group a lot of confidence this week.”
LSU will wear its alternate uniforms of gold helmets, purple jerseys and gold pants on Saturday. “SEC Nation,” the SEC Network’s live pregame show, will also return to Baton Rouge for the first time since October 2022. The live show will be broadcast from the Quad.
