Eleven months after the wheels came off every which way imaginable against Texas A&M in the third quarter, LSU used the same period on the same field to throw some dirt on the suddenly reeling Aggies.
The No. 10 Tigers (3-1, 1-1) continued its effective corralling of Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed — after nightmares failing to do so the past two years — and more than doubling their halftime lead en route to a 35-6 victory.
“It’s funny,” smiled senior safety Ty Benefield, a transfer from Boise State. “We just heard a bunch about the past and the past and the past. We heard all throughout the offseason guys from their team saying the past and stuff. And it’s funny because we’re not in the past. We’re in the present. So we showed up and showed out.”
LSU rebounded in a major way from its first loss of the Lane Kiffin era a week earlier in the coach’s highly anticipated and hostile return to Ole Miss.
The defense held the Aggies to 197 total yards, including returning the nightmare favor to Reed, who finished with 106 yards on 10-for-26 passing and -13 rushing yards on 10 attempts.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt and company meanwhile stockpiled the type of explosive plays for which Kiffin’s offenses are known and that had eluded them almost entirely in Oxford, Miss., last week.
The Tigers finished with their third 500-yard game in four weeks, including 312 through the air and another 194 on the ground.
“That’s a really quality win,” Kiffin said. “You’re playing in the SEC with two teams that were ranked coming in in the top 25, and so you win 35-6 and really kind of dominating numbers, 500 yards to 197. And it’s like I said in the first game: When those things happen, that’s a lot of people doing things right. That makes me feel really good as a coach that they responded well and that they prepared really well.”
An early 36-yard run by sophomore back Dilin Jones, his and the team’s second-longest of the season thus far, set up the opening touchdown, a 1-yard direct-snap, cleanly paved run across the goal line.
And a career night by junior wide receiver Jackson Harris highlighted the big passing game.
The transfer from Hawaii caught six passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns, a 16-yarder just before halftime on which he created late separation and tracked the ball in over a defender and a 57-yarder early in the third quarter that began blowing the game open.
“We just prepared really hard this week,” Harris said. “We just took a look in the mirror after last week, and we just cleaned up what we needed to work on, and that’s what happens when you’re accountable.”
LSU allowed Texas A&M just a 24-yard David Olano field goal before halftime and quickly showed the Aggies wouldn’t manage much more after the break.
The Tigers forced a quick three-and-out with a third-down sack by senior safety Tamarcus Cooley.
And when faced with a fourth down a couple minutes later, Leavitt found a wide-open Harris streaking down the middle of the field for the 57-yard strike, the team’s longest of the season thus far.
“I’m glad we did that,” Kiffin said. “That’s kind of I feel like that’s probably part of why we were hired here, that aggressiveness. And I almost didn’t do it. Our defense was playing so well I almost punted the ball, and then I caught myself at the last second and new that we had that play available. I was like, ‘OK, that’s not kinda how we roll. That’s not how we talk to our team, being conservative.’ So the players made a good play. It’s really a play that has kind of popped out over the years on fourth-and-one situations and gives a lot of people problems.”
Landen Clark danced his way to a pair of short touchdown runs in relief of Leavitt.
And the Aggies were forced to settle for a 53-yard Olano kick late in the third quarter to finish with their lowest scoring output in the series since a 27-0 shutout in Baton Rouge in 1988.
“We discussed (last year’s game) in January when we got here,” Kiffin said. “That was kinda the book on (defensive coordinator) Blake (Baker) … LSU had played great defense vs. passing teams and stuff, and then a running quarterback could give ’em some problems. So I thought Blake did a really good job. That’s what good coaches do. They spend an offseason to game-plan for a specific game like this, which helps you down the road, because you’re gonna play more of ’em like it. You know that you put it on tape that there’s a plan to stop it.”
Benefield and linebacker T.J. Dottery led LSU with seven tackles each, but the unit received standout play from every level and direction.
True freshman defensive tackle Daverin “Deuce” Geralds II had five tackles, including two for loss and a sacks, and senior edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen had six tackles, including 1.5 for loss and his seventh sack of the season.
Senior linebacker Whit Weeks flew around for four tackles and a disruptive third-down hurry before exiting in a boot and on crutches.
“Whit means everything,” Benefield said. “Being here for however long I’ve been here, he’s like a brother to me, and he’s such an amazing leader, a fierce competitor. He’ just legit. But obviously like I said before, next-man-up mentality, and Davhon (Keys) did his thing today, and I’m so happy just giving confidence to those guys because everybody on this roster has the ability and the talent to make plays. It’s just the mental piece. And he came in and executed, did his one-11th and super proud of him.”
Keys stepped in and wrapped up a season-high six tackles.
Junior defensive tackle Stephiylan Green, the transfer from Clemson, recorded his first career sack.
Cooley added an interception to his three-tackle, one-sack night, and sophomore corner Michael Turner Jr., the former John Curtis star, snatched his first college interception.
Leavitt finished 17-for-23 for 312 yards, two touchdowns a second-half interception and rushed five times for 22 yards.
Clark, the transfer from Elon, ran six times for 20 yards and his second and third touchdowns of the season.
