Baton Rouge, LA – Behind 731 yards of total offense, No. 11 LSU ran past McNeese, 63-14, on Saturday night in Death Valley.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt went 18-of-23 for 176 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. Receiver Corey Barber Jr. led the team with seven catches and two touchdowns. Five different players recorded a rushing touchdown (Harlem Berry, Dilin Jones, Stacy Gage, Landen Clark, Deuce Geralds).
With the win, LSU improves to 4-1 overall. The Tigers hit the road to Lexington, Kentucky next Saturday for a 6 p.m. CT kick against the Wildcats. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Game Recap
On 3rd-and-8 from the LSU 45, Princewill Umanmielen and Mekhi Blockton bright pressure, forcing McNeese QB Jake Strong to throw an interception to Tamarcus Cooley, returning it 21 yards to the Cowboy 48. LSU took over with 12:27 to play in the first quarter.
The Tigers, behind starter Sam Leavitt, put together a nine-play, 48-yard drive to cash in on the McNeese miscue. Running back Dilin Jones took a 1-yard rush up the gut for a touchdown, putting LSU up 7-0 early with 9:23 to play in the first quarter.
Tight end Roman Mothershed made his first catch of the season, reeling in a 1-yard touchdown with 3:21 in the first quarter, extending the Tigers’ advantage to 14-0. It was Mothershed’s second career touchdown. It capped off a 12-play drive spanning 77 yards, taking four minutes and 48 seconds off the clock.
With LSU driving again inside the McNeese 30, Leavitt threw an interception to Lorenzell Dubose at the 2-yard line. It was returned five yards to the Cowboy 9. McNeese took over 13:54 to play in the first half. The interception did not come back to bite LSU as the Tigers forced a three-and-out, thanks to an FBS-leading eight sack from Princewill Umanmielen on third down to force a punt.
With 7:37 to play in the first half, backup QB Landon Clark entered and took a designed keeper to the right side of the south endzone for a 3-yard touchdown, extending the LSU lead to 21-0 over McNeese. It capped off a 47-yard drive on 10 plays, taking four minutes and 11 seconds off the clock.
With 4:01 to play in the second quarter, Leavitt found Corey Barber Jr. for a 6-yard touchdown connection, extending the Tigers’ lead to 28-0. To that point, Leavitt had posted an efficient 17-for-22 for 164 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception.
With 2:34 left in the second quarter, Clark entered the game at quarterback for Leavitt, becoming the primary signal caller.
On 3rd-and-6 from the McNeese 12-yard line, Leavitt re-entered the game to throw a 12-yard touchdown to Corey Barber Jr., his second scoring reception of the night. LSU led McNeese 35-0 heading into halftime.
The scoring would continue. With 11:34 to play in the third quarter, freshman DT Deuce Geralds – yes, you read that correctly – took a direct snap and rushed the ball one yard for a touchdown, extending the LSU lead to 42-0. It capped off a 10-play, 81-yard drive.
Another quick scoring drive (4 plays, 64 yards) for LSU was capped off by an 11-yard rushing touchdown from Harlem Berry, extending the Tigers’ lead to 49-0 with 8:22 to play in the third quarter. Berry was up to a career-high 125 yards on 15 carries and a score for the night.
The Cowboys finally got on the board with 4:48 to play in the third quarter as backup quarterback Brady Barrier found Jaamal Levi for a 43-yard touchdown completion. It was a one-play drive. LSU led McNeese 49-7.
McNeese would find the end zone again with 3:32 to play in the third quarter, thanks to a 64-yard rushing touchdown from Jaamal Levi, cutting the LSU lead to 49-14. McNeese scored two touchdowns on two-straight drives in a combined three plays.
The Tigers would respond back with a 46-yard rushing touchdown from running back Stacy Gage on a direct snap, extending the LSU lead to 56-14 with 13:56 to play in the game. Five different players (Berry, Jones, Gage, Clark, Geralds) had scored a rushing touchdown on the night.
Gage broke free again for a 39-yard rushing touchdown, extending the LSU lead to 63-14 with 10:56 to play in the contest. It was an 82-yard drive on four plays, taking just one minute and nine seconds off the clock.