Last week, Bradyn Swinson’s career day helped LSU notch a come-from-behind win over South Carolina.
And on Saturday, the senior edge rusher picked up where he left off against the Gamecocks. He recorded two sacks, a hurry and a forced fumble in LSU’s 34-17 win over UCLA, a game in which the Tigers’ defense struggled to stop the Bruins in the first half but blanked it in the second.
LSU stopped two UCLA drives in the first half. Swinson made key plays on each series.
In the second quarter, he sacked UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers on a third and 15, forcing a punt. A drive later, he dropped Garbers again and jarred the ball loose, giving senior edge rusher Sai’vion Jones a chance to recover the fumble on the Bruins’ 38-yard line. LSU capitalized with a field goal seven plays later.
Coach Brian Kelly credited first-year LSU edge rusher coach Kevin Peoples with helping Swinson and Jones develop into disruptive rushers.
“They are clearly different players,” Kelly said, “and he's been able to take two different players with different skillsets and give them the ability to pass rush and use different techniques. I think he's done a terrific job.”
The LSU defense, which ceded 206 yards and 17 points to UCLA in the first half, allowed the Bruins to gain only 89 yards across the third and fourth quarters — a season-low for a half. It finished the game with five sacks, five hurries and two takeaways.
Swinson has now tallied five sacks and two forced fumbles across his last two games. Last season, he recorded only two sacks and two forced fumbles.