LSU overcame a 17-point deficit in the 3rd quarter to beat Wisconsin and open the season with a win.
The #13 LSU Tigers defeated the #14 Wisconsin Badgers is the NCAA’s first matchup 28-24 of the year between two top 15 teams.
It was a tale of two halves for the Tigers and Badgers, with Wisconsin opening a 10-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a FG and a TD run by Reggie Love – a 45-yard TD that constituted his only carry of the night. The Badgers went into half-time up 17-7 after a TD run by leading rusher Melvin Gordon (16 carries, 140 yards, TD).
Another TD by the Badgers – Corey Clement’s 2-yard run – put the Badgers up 24-7 in the early 3rd quarter, but the Tigers were resilient. LSU QB Anthony Jennings had only 9 completions on the day – including a 4th quarter TD strike to John Diarse that cut the lead to 3. RB Kenny Hilliard, who led the team with 18 carries for 110 yards, finished off the Badgers with a 28-yard TD run in the middle of the 4th that gave LSU their first and only necessary lead of the game.
With the win, LSU becomes one of only three teams in college football’s Kickoff Week to open with a win over a ranked opponent. The other two were West division rival Texas A&M and fellow SEC competitor Georgia.
With the loss, Wisconsin becomes one of only two teams in the Big Ten conference to lose its opening game this season. Big Ten West Division rival Northwestern lost to Cal 24-31 on Saturday as well.
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