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LSU drops in AP poll after win over Southeastern, 4-0 start

On3 imageby: Matthew Brune09/21/25MatthewBrune_
NCAA Football: Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana State
Sep 20, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver Jelani Watkins (17) runs against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

LSU has dropped a spot in the AP Poll that was released on Sunday afternoon, falling from No. 3 to No. 4 despite a 56-10 win over Southeastern and a 4-0 start.

The Tigers’ defense has been one of the best in the country though the first portion of the season, while the offense has been a work in progress, but comes off of a strong showing behind quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s performance on Saturday night.

Here is the full AP poll after Week 4 of the college football season:

  1. Ohio State
  2. Miami (FL)
  3. Penn State
  4. LSU
  5. Georgia
  6. Oregon
  7. Oklahoma
  8. Florida State
  9. Texas A&M
  10. Texas
  11. Indiana
  12. Texas Tech
  13. Ole Miss
  14. Iowa State
  15. Tennessee
  16. Georgia Tech
  17. Alabama
  18. Vanderbilt
  19. Michigan
  20. Missouri
  21. USC
  22. Notre Dame
  23. Illinois
  24. TCU
  25. BYU

Others receiving votes:

Auburn 122, Mississippi St. 102, South Florida 77, Utah 45, Arizona St. 30, Memphis 23, Louisville 23, Maryland 6, UNLV 3, UCF 3, North Texas 2.

LSU cruises to victory over Southeastern

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and the LSU offense posted their best performance of the season on Saturday night as the No. 3 Tigers cruised to victory over Southeastern, 56-10.

Nussmeier went 25-31 for 273 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Bauer Sharp led the team in receiving with five catches for 73 yards and one score, while Ju’Juan Johnson finished the night with 43 yards and two TDs on eight carries. Defensively, linebacker Dahvon Keys posted another solid outing with three tackles, one PBU and one QB hurry. The Tigers held SLU to just 204 total yards.

With the win, the Tigers improve to 4-0 overall. They will return to action next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT against Ole Miss in Oxford.

Game Recap

After back-to-back three-and-outs from both teams, Southeastern’s 18-yard punt from Alec Mahler gave the Tigers great field position at the SLU 45. On 4th-and-1 from the 1-yard line, Nussmeier’s QB keeper gave LSU an early 7-0 lead with 5:08 to play in the first quarter. It culminated a 13-play drive spanning 45 yards. 

On the Lions’ next offensive possession, they elected to go for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 44-yard line. They were short, giving LSU a turnover on downs and the ball back with prime field possession again.

To open the second quarter, Nussmeier found Zavion Thomas for 17 yards on 4th-and-11 at the SLU 35, moving the ball to the SLU 18. On the next play, Ju’Juan Johnson rushed up the middle for a 16-yard gain, moving the ball to the SLU 2. Johnson would run it again for a two-yard touchdown, giving LSU a 14-0 advantage with 13:12 to play in the first half. It marked the first career rushing score for Johnson. 

The LSU offense began to get the vertical passing game going as Nussmeier found Aaron Anderson over the middle of the field for a 26-yard pickup, bringing the ball to the LSU 47. Nussmeier then used his legs for a 26-yard scramble down to the SLU 10, where Johnson rushed for his second touchdown of the night with a 10-yard score. LSU extended its lead to 21-0 with 8:09 to play in the first half.

The Tigers would get some more breathing room thanks to a 17-yard touchdown connection from Nussmeier to Barion Brown. LSU led Southeastern 28-0 with 2:06 remaining in the first half. It capped off an eight play drive spanning 57 yards, taking three minutes and 50 seconds off the game clock.

With 15 seconds left in the first half, Nussmeier – avoiding pressure and scrambling in the pocket – found Zavion Thomas for a 9-yard touchdown. LSU went into the locker room with a 35-0 lead.

Nussmeier and the offense wasted no time out of the break, marching down the field to score another touchdown, this time spanning 87 yards on just seven plays, culminating in a 23-yard TD reception from Bauer Sharp. LSU was up 42-0 with 9:28 to play in the third quarter.

On 3rd-and-4 from the LSU 14, the Lions got on the board at the 6:07 mark with a 14-yard reception from Carson Camp to Deantre Jackson. LSU still led Southeastern, 42-7. 

Backup quarterback Michael Van Buren III entered the game around the six minute mark for his first action of the season.

Van Buren recorded his first touchdown as a Tiger with 13:54 to play in the contest, taking in a 1-yard keeper to cap off an 81-yard drive. The Fighting Tigers of LSU extended their lead over Southeastern to 49-7.

With 8:11 to play, MVB found Kyle Parker for an impressive 27-yard touchdown catch and run to give LSU a 56-7 lead.

*LSU press release