No letdown

Even though LSU faced an outmanned Northwestern State team Saturday night, the Tigers had the desire to turn in a dominant performance.

LSU gained an even 400 yards with a balanced attack. But, it was the defense which displayed no emotional letdown in its 49-3 victory against the Demons at Tiger Stadium.

Northwestern State was held to 95 yards of offense - the first time in four seasons that a LSU opponent failed to gain 100 yards. The Demons finished with a net rushing total of minus-four yards - the first time in 29 seasons that a Tigers opponent didn't have positive rushing yardage.

"Each and every night we try to play with intensity," said cornerback Morris Claiborne, who had a team-high six tackles. "We were real intense tonight. We want to keep our focus no matter who we play. Our goal was not to let them get into the end zone and we didn't."

Northwestern State, which had not scored in ten previous meetings with LSU, took advantage of good field position to put up its lone points of the night. With the ball at the Tigers' 4, D.J. Howard got off a 36-yard punt.

The Demons picked up one first down before the drive stalled at LSU's 27. John Shaughnessy entered the game and kicked a 44-yard field goal which left Northwestern State behind 7-3 early in the second quarter.

Thanks to a successful fake punt, the Demons moved the ball into Tigers territory late in the second quarter. That series ended when quarterback Brad Henderson mishandled the shotgun snap on fourth-and-five at LSU's 37. The Demons never ran a play on the Tigers' side of the field in the second half.

"It all starts up front with the big guys," cornerback Tyrann Mathieu said. "They had the same intensity this week as against Oregon. We knew we have a short week ahead of us. We went out there and took care of business."

The defensive play of the game was turned in by a lineman in the second quarter. Claiborne rushed Henderson, who threw a wobbly screen pass. Tackle Michael Brockers reached out and grabbed the ball at the Demons' 15. Two plays later, Spencer Ware ran for a touchdown to put LSU on top 21-3.

"I had read the screen earlier and they got it out there for a couple of yards," Brockers said. "I was ready for it this time. I felt the guy like I was blocking out in basketball. The quarterback really threw a soft ball. I reached out and grabbed it.

"The guys said that I lunged for the ball. I was surprised I got it. I just wanted to knock the ball down, but it was so soft. I never had an interception before, but I did have a couple of catches in high school."

Henderson and backup quarterback Don Canyon were a combined 17-of-29 for only 99 yards. Henderson was sacked once on a combined effort by Mathieu and Sam Montgomery. The Demons running backs had a total of 18 yards on 18 carries.

LSU used its base defense quite often against the Demons. In fact, the Tigers never lined up in its nickel package. LSU did use its dime scheme on numerous plays.

"We knew this team would use a lot of tricks," safety Eric Reid said. "They were going to try to throw us off our keys. We stayed in our base defense a lot because of that. It made it easier to read our keys. Regardless of who we play, we want to totally shut down the offense. We did that tonight."

Starting linebacker Ryan Baker was suspended for a violation of team rules. Lamin Barrow replaced Baker in the starting lineup. Luke Muncie also saw a lot of action at Baker's outside linebacker spot. The Tigers had used most of their second-unit defenders by the end of the third quarter.

"It was all in our game plan," Montgomery said. "We were focused and performed well. We expect our young guys to play just as good as our old guys. The young guys have to carry on the tradition."

Michael Ford and Ware each ran for a pair of touchdowns. Alfred Blue also had a rushing touchdown. The top three tailbacks combined for 149 rushing yards on 35 carries. Jarrett Lee completed nine of ten passes for 133 yards and one touchdown - a 9-yarder to Deangelo Peterson.

Zach Mettenberger, who played the entire second half, completed eight of 11 passes for 92 yards and one touchdown - a 19-yarder to Kadron Boone. Lee played most of the first half with an ankle injury. He could have played in the second half if needed.

"I felt that we came out and played with intensity in all three phases," LSU coach Les Miles said. "The defense played like they're supposed to. Offensively, we were more efficient than we had been in the past at times. We were able to do what we needed to do. I like how it went."