Updated Notebook: LSU opens offense in Texas Bowl

Miles thought his defense set a tone for the game by limiting Tech to minus-5 yards on the first drive.

Fournette was faultless: 212 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries, plus a 44-yard touchdown catch thrown in for good measure as he fueled an LSU offense that rolled to a stunning 638 yards.

“I would say the night was productive”, he said. The game also airs as a live stream online. LSU coach Les Miles is 6-4 in bowl games at LSU….

The Red Raiders had trouble containing the explosive Fournette. With Texas Tech looking to take the lead, Patrick Mahomes was intercepted and LSU would ride the momentum from there, going on a 35-7 run to close out the game, to win the game 56-27. Tre’Davious White returned a 53 yard punt 16 yards to the Texas Tech 42. Tigers quarterback Brandon Harris, running back Darrel Williams and receiver D.J. Chark each had rushing touchdowns.

“I knew it would be a challenge, particularly when we had to go into throwing mode every play”, Texas Tech Coach Kliff Kingsbury said. Fournette darted untouched for a touchdown that moved the Tigers’ advantage to 28-20 with 8:17 remaining in the third quarter. When the opponent is as strong defensively as LSU is, the entire landscape of the game changes to where Tech’s up-tempo offense can’t keep up with the drives its defense keeps losing. Grant finished with 125 receiving yards on 10 catches. He ran Fournette at them until they folded. “It took a little while for him to adjust to it”.

He also was excellent as a receiver, taking this catch for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Fellow sophomore Malachi Dupre led LSU with 96 yards on four receptions, including a 24-yarder that set up Fournette’s final score. Harris would one-hop a 10-yard out, sail the ball wildly over the head of a receiver on a mid-range route or throw an interception over the middle. Whether it’s a permanent shift or not – by cutting out the middle man the Tigers certainly cut out their vexing inclination for delay-of-game penalties – but it didn’t harm the Tigers’ ability to match and eventually overmatch Texas Tech big play for big play.

Series Record: LSU leads 2-0.

Fournette sailed into the end zone Superman style on a 2-yard run with about 8 minutes left. A two-point conversion pass failed.

At that point, LSU stuck with the game plan by keeping the ball on the ground and in the hands of Fournette. And LSU led 14-6 with 29 seconds to go in the first quarter.

In the first two quarters, Leonard Fournette led the Tigers’ rushing game with 81 rushing yards on 14 attempts, including a 2-yard touchdown run to first put LSU on the board.

LSU sacked Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes six times, including two each by middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux.

LSU outgained Tech, the No. 2 offense in the nation coming in with 594 yards a game, 273 to 188 in the first half.

No matter the offensive coordinator, LSU’s 2016 wish list on offense should contain a heavy dose of Fournette (you don’t lose much with Derrius Guice, either), more keepers from Brandon Harris and a consistent short- to mid-range passing game.