blacksaint

(Saturday, September 29th)
Final Score: (2) LSU 34, Tulane 9

New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Jacob Hester and Charles Scott each ran for a pair of touchdowns, as second-ranked LSU shook off a sluggish start and pulled away for a 34-9 victory over Tulane at the Superdome.

Matt Flynn completed 16-of-29 passes for 258 yards with an interception for the Tigers (5-0), who carried a 10-9 lead into the second half and exploded for 24 unanswered points the rest of the way.

"The good news is that a team when caught not playing their best football and turns and gets it in gear, and does things they are supposed to do to come back and get a victory," LSU coach Les Miles said. "That's the way it is supposed to finish. It wasn't our best game, but I think victory and that's what we play for."

It was the LSU defense, however, that carried the team. The Tigers, despite allowing a season-high 88 rushing yards, limited Tulane to just 101 total yards in the second half.

LSU gets back into conference action next week with a home game against Florida.

Anthony Scelfo completed just 11-of-26 passes for 117 yards with an interception and Matt Forte ran for 73 yards on 16 carries in defeat. Tulane (1-3) has lost 16 straight games to LSU and hasn't beaten its state rival since 1982.

The Green Wave trailed by one after a strong finish to the first half, but Colt David kicked a 33-yard field goal to cap the first possession of the third quarter and the Tigers rolled from there.

Forte fumbled on the second play after the kickoff and LSU recovered at the Tulane 48. Flynn needed just five plays to put his team in the end zone, as he threw a 38-yard pass to Terrance Tolliver to set up Hester's one-yard touchdown run for a 20-9 cushion.

"Halftime was good," Tulane coach Bob Toledo said. "Our kids came in and they were very businesslike and I told them, 'Defensively, you're doing a great job.' I said to them, 'One of the things we wanted to do, was to get into it on the second half close and see if we could win it at the end.' Of course then LSU took the ball down and they scored and then we fumbled and they scored again. Then after that, it was pretty tough sailing."

The Green Wave then went three-and-out, but Flynn was picked off on the next series. The Tigers got the ball right back, as Chevis Jackson intercepted Scelfo.

Flynn then directed an eight-play, 76-yard drive for another touchdown. Scott finished it with a 35-yard touchdown jaunt just three minutes into the fourth quarter for a 27-9 advantage and added a three-yard scoring run on LSU's next series to put the game well out of reach.

Scott finished with 53 yards on six carries, while Hester added 33 yards on 10 rushes.

Tulane's first series of the game ended in disaster, as Kenneth Guidroz fumbled after a reception and LSU recovered at the Green Wave 27. The Tigers, though, were unable to pick up a first down and David's 37-yard field goal try hit the top of the right upright.

The Tigers got the ball right back at the Tulane 49 after a punt and needed just two plays to find the end zone. Following a 43-yard pass from Flynn to Brandon LaFell and an offside penalty, Hester scored on a three-yard run to give LSU a 7-0 lead.

Tulane had the better of the field position for the remainder of the half and it finally paid off midway through the second quarter when LSU started a drive from its own five. On third down, the Tigers were penalized for holding in the end zone, giving the Green Wave a safety.

The ensuing free kick gave Tulane possession at its own 42 and the Green Wave rode the momentum into the end zone to take the lead. A 20-yard pass on 3rd- and-14 kept the drive alive early and Andre Anderson capped the 11-play series with a five-yard touchdown run for a 9-7 edge with 1:40 left in the half.

LSU still had time and a 38-yard kickoff return by Trindon Holliday allowed the Tigers to start from their own 44. They moved far enough for David to kick a 36-yard field goal and LSU took a 10-9 advantage to the locker room.

Game Notes

LSU leads the all-time series 66-23-7...Tulane will visit Army next Saturday...The Tigers outgained the Green Wave, 391-227.

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