Game Day, Part III

After watching Virginia Tech struggle to a season-opening 17-7 win over East Carolina and LSU cruise to a 45-0 shutout on the road at Mississippi State, maybe this week’s clash of the titans had a foreseeable outcome. But the season’s first match-up of Top 10 teams – a meeting that had been hyped all offseason – turned out to be a coronation more than a competition.

The No. 2 Tigers mangled the No. 9 Hokies 48-7 in front of a record crowd of 92,739 fans at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. The 41-point victory was the largest margin by LSU over a ranked opponent since beating No. 16 Ole Miss 61-17 in 1970. But even though the Tigers gained 598 total yards while holding the Hokies to just 149 total yards, LSU coach Les Miles doesn’t want anyone in Baton Rouge presuming the best – no matter how good it looks right now.

"I can tell you that we are not there yet. You can save the accolades for later in life because we have only won two games. We have a lot of football to play," said Miles. "Don’t make too much of this win. It is all about what we have to get done in the future."

The Bayou Bengals have now won nine consecutive games, which is the country’s second-longest winning streak following losses by Boise State, BYU and TCU on Saturday. Wisconsin is riding a 10-game streak, but struggled to escape Las Vegas with a 20-13 win over UNLV. Meanwhile, LSU crushed Virginia Tech in prime time.

LSU had such a commanding lead throughout that quarterback Matt Flynn was able to take a seat in the cheering section on the sideline following a 17-of-27 performance for 217 passing yards and one rushing score. Flynn was replaced by Ryan Perrilloux, who was a perfect 5-of-5 with 84 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Virginia Tech also used two quarterbacks, but for a different reason. Sean Glennon struggled to connect on 2-of-10 passes for 16 yards and one interception, which happened to be LSU safety Craig Steltz’s fourth pick of the season. At that point, true freshman Tyrod Taylor was thrown to the Tigers for his first action of the season. Taylor responded by completing 7-of-18 attempts for 62 yards and zero interceptions. The 18-year-old native of Hampton, Va., also rushed for a team-high 44 yards and the Hokies only score of the game.

Outside of Taylor, there was little-to-no offense produced by Virginia Tech. Tailback Branden Ore had 14 carries for only 28 rushing yards and two catches for 24 receiving yards. With playmakers on every level – including defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and linebacker Ali Highsmith – the Tigers were in attack mode every time the maroon and orange had the football.

"Defensively, week after week, you can see it. It is about speed to the ball and attention to detail. Guys with our helmets were all around the football," said Miles.

Offensively, LSU was equally effective against a respected Virginia Tech defense.

Running backs Keiland Williams and Jacob Hester provided a punch-counter punch that wore down the Hokies defense. Williams had 126 yards and two trips to the end zone on only seven carries – averaging a video game-like 18.0 yards per carry. Hester tacked on 12 carries for 81 yards and another touchdown on the ground, as well as one reception for 28 yards.

Through the air, receiver Brandon LaFell had seven grabs for 125 yards, including a 56-yarder, while more publicized teammate Early Doucet had six catches for 75 yards and one score. Even true freshman Terrence Toliver got in on the action, catching a 28-yard touchdown from Perrilloux to put the finishing touches on a game whose official ending was only a formality.

"We are certainly disappointed in how we played. But I think you can probably give LSU a lot of credit for that," said Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. "They got us good tonight. We plan to come back. And I think we have the makings of a good football team. But we have work to do to get there."

Bull Rush

Auburn Tigers fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium should have known they were in for a long night when the South Florida Bulls took a 14–3 lead at the end of the first quarter on a run by tailback Mike Ford, a former Alabama signee who made Auburn pay.

Although the Tigers took a 17–14 lead into halftime, USF fought back to tie the game at 20–20 to force overtime. The Bulls had squandered several opportunities to take the lead, failing to capitalize on five Auburn turnovers (three fumbles lost and two interceptions) thanks primarily due to struggling kicker Delbert Alvarado, who connected on just 2-of-6 field goal attempts. Both of Alvarado’s makes tied the game, at 17-17 and at 20-20 with 55 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

With less than one minute to play in regulation, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville decided to kill the clock and play for overtime. The Tiger faithful booed the decision before USF won the coin toss and deferred. After Auburn kicked a 39-yard field goal to take a 23-20 lead, the stage was set for an upset.

The Bulls were led by scrambling gunslinger quarterback Matt Grothe, who carried the ball for 31 yards and a score before throwing a game-winning 14-yard pass to receiver Jessie Hester to give the Big East school a SEC win in overtime. The 26-23 victory is arguably the biggest in the Tampa school’s seven-year Division I-A history.

"There’s no question that’s a big win for us," said USF coach Jim Leavitt. "There was so much adversity in the game. What I was most proud of was the way they kept battling and fighting."