After lackluster win, LSU happy to return to SEC play

BATON ROUGE – Other than tailback Leonard Fournette, LSU looked very ordinary in an underachieving victory against a large underdog for the second straight week.

The Tigers defeated 45-point underdog Eastern Michigan by just 44-22 Saturday night at Tiger Stadium after beating 24-point underdog Syracuse by 34-24 last week at Syracuse.

“I think at times no matter what the coach says, it’s just not the name that rings that competitive fever in you,” LSU coach Les Miles said after seeing his team lead Eastern Michigan by just 30-22 early in the fourth quarter. “Playing a team that’s not a conference opponent, I think they take for granted the snaps. So that’ll be my message to them. Don’t do that.”

Miles looks forward to a return to Southeastern Conference play when his Tigers (4-0, 2-0 SEC) play at struggling South Carolina (2-3, 0-3 SEC) at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN. The Gamecocks lost, 24-10, at Missouri on Saturday. LSU jumped from No. 8 to No. 5 in the nation in the USA Today poll on Sunday and from No. 9 to No. 7 in the Associated Press poll despite a lackluster performance against Eastern Michigan (1-4, 0-1 Mid-American Conference), which went 2-10 in its previous three seasons.

“Really looking forward to sinking our teeth into a SEC opponent – an opponent that we’ll have to play well against on the road,” Miles said.

LSU’s best game this season was its 45-21 win over Auburn (3-2, 0-2 SEC) on Sept. 19 when the Tigers outgained their opponent, 485 yards to 260, had no turnovers and drew a season-low five penalties.

LSU suffered its first turnover of the season against Eastern Michigan — an interception by quarterback Brandon Harris on a play that resembled a fumble as the ball fluttered out of his hands as he was in the act of throwing just after being hit. That later turned into a touchdown. And the Tigers were penalized seven times after drawing 14 at Syracuse.

Fournette admitted the Tigers did not take Eastern Michigan seriously. “We were joking and playing around at practice,” he said Saturday night. “I think we can do better. I know we can do better. We’ve got to pick it up.”

The result was just a 20-14 lead at halftime.

“I pretty much got on them, and Vadal Alexander (LSU right tackle) got on them too about not playing physical and not playing smart,” said Fournette, who was easily the best part of LSU’s game as he gained 233 yards on 26 carries with three touchdowns and became the first back in SEC history to gain 200 or more yards in three straight games. Fournette put LSU up 27-14 on the first play of the third quarter with a 75-yard touchdown run.

“He’s liable to do that at any time,” Miles said. “I mean, there’s not a time where you hand him a ball that he doesn’t have an opportunity to hit a home run. Nice to have a back that sets an all-time SEC record. That’s Leonard Fournette.”

Fournette, a sophomore from New Orleans who remains the nation's top candidate for the Heisman Trophy, has 864 rushing yards on the season, which is the most in school history through four games and the most anywhere in the nation after just four games since the 2000 season. His 11 touchdowns in four games is also the most in LSU history and leads the nation. Fournette also leads the nation in overall rushing with his 864 yards despite playing one fewer game than the first 13 players behind him. He also leads the nation in rushing yards per game with 216.

LSU had little else other than Fournette, though, on this night.

“We didn’t necessarily do everything we needed to do offensively and defensively,” LSU tight end Colin Jeter said.

LSU’s passing game featured several drops, including two by usually sure-handed wide receiver Travin Dural, and Harris finished just 4-of-15 passing for 80 yards with the interception. Harris was also sacked twice and nearly a third time, which was when he was credited with the interception in the second quarter when Eastern Michigan cut LSU’s lead to 17-14.

“There wasn’t many completed balls,” Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said.

“The sacks and pass protections to me were real issues,” Miles said. “But I don’t think it’s anything that we can’t fix. Wish we had not dropped balls, but we’ll work on that desire to throw and catch. We’d have thrown for 200 or 150 yards had we just caught balls.”

Dural dropped a third-and-10 pass right in his hands while in the clear inside the Eastern Michigan 10-yard line for what would have been a 20-yard gain, and he would have had enough room to possibly score after the would-be catch. LSU then got a field goal with 10 seconds to go in the second quarter for a 20-14 halftime lead.

“There’s nothing he (Harris) can do to correct when he hits a guy dead in the hands, and he doesn’t bring it in,” Miles said. “I didn’t say much to him negative at all. I thought he did exactly what we needed him to do. I’d like for him to take care of that ball and have a pocket presence that allows him to take a sack and not take a turnover. We’re going to catch it. It’s that simple. It’s not something that we’re going to take. I think that they (the receivers) will play big at South Carolina.”

LSU’s defense intercepted three passes, including one by outside linebacker Deion Jones who returned it 26 yards for a touchdown and the 44-22 lead with 12:37 to play. But its overall pass defense still struggled as it allowed Eastern Michigan quarterback Brogan Roback to complete 17 of 24 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown.

“Do I wish the defense was more dominant? Sure,” Miles said. “I’m glad that we responded the way we did. Certainly, we were not perfect. The things that bother me are very fixable. The good news is we came off of the game very healthy. I still don’t like the penalties. I’m more threatening than I’ve been.”

Middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith and defensive end Arden Key were each called for offside penalties.

“Can’t have those,” Miles said. “You’ve got to have a smart defense otherwise we’ll be drawn offside at the key points in the big SEC games.”

NOTES: LSU starting tight end Dillon Gordon (Achilles) and starting free safety Jalen Mills (ankle) did not dress out. … True freshman defensive end Isaiah Washington played for the first time this season after missing the first three games with an arm injury. … LSU went to 59-0 under Miles when rushing for more than 100 yards and holding its opponent to less than 100 yards.