LSU displays dominance over Hokies

By Steve Megargee, Rivals.com College Football Staff Writer

Steve Megargee
Rivals.com

BATON ROUGE, La. - After losing four first-round picks to the NFL Draft, LSU just isn't quite the same.

It's better.

The second-ranked Tigers dominated No. 9 Virginia Tech 48-7 in a Saturday night showcase that proved these bullies of Baton Rouge boast more talent than any team east of Southern California.

They're talented enough to lose all those first-round draft picks and still enter a season with realistic expectations of winning the national title.

"Our expectations are always through the roof," said All-America defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who could have given LSU five first-round picks if he hadn't returned for his senior year. "We always expect the best and won't accept anything but the best. Our coaches are the same way."

That was evident from LSU coach Les Miles' comments after his team had just delivered the most dominant performance of the season.

"We're so far from being the second-ranked team, it's not funny," Miles said. "We've got a ways to go and weeks to go before we can start thinking about that."

Too bad his players have given such a convincing argument that suggests otherwise.

LSU has outscored its first two opponents 93-7. The Tigers just completed their most one-sided victory over a top 10-team in school history. LSU racked up 598 yards of total offense Saturday against a team that annually produces one of the nation's top defenses.

"I'm not sure if this isn't the No. 1 team in the country," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said.

The Tigers no longer have JaMarcus Russell, the cannon-armed quarterback who went to the Oakland Raiders with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. But the Tigers replaced him with Matt Flynn, whose error-free brand of football makes him an ideal fit for this star-studded offense.

Flynn isn't a better player than his predecessor, but he might give the Tigers a better chance of winning it all.

Russell had so much confidence in his extraordinary talents that he sometimes forced passes that cost his team dearly. Russell threw three interceptions and fumbled at Florida's 1-yard line in a 28-10 loss to the Gators last year that ended up costing LSU the SEC Western Division title.

Flynn has thrown no interceptions in three career starts while proving he can deliver against top-level competition. He picked apart Miami's top-ranked pass defense two years ago in his first career start before embarrassing Virginia Tech on Saturday.

"The best statistic of the entire day was no turnovers," Miles said. "If our turnover margin continues to be what it is now, I don't care who we play. We'll be in great shape."

Of course, Russell wasn't the only superstar who left LSU behind.

The Tigers also had to replace wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis, who both were drafted late in the first round. But they still have Early Doucet, a future first-round pick who made Virginia Tech's defense look foolish by getting wide open for a 34-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.

Doucet finished the night with six catches for 75 yards, but he's far from the only playmaker in LSU's offense. In fact, Flynn didn't even throw in Doucet's direction while leading LSU into the end zone on each of its first two possessions.

Speedy sophomore Brandon LaFell caught two passes - including a 14-yard sideline reception on a third-and-10 play – as the Tigers marched 87 yards on their opening possession. LaFell later burned the Hokies for a 56-yard catch-and-run that set up the Tigers' second touchdown.

And for all the attention USC's crowded backfield received during the preseason, LSU has an equally explosive committee of running backs.

Versatile fullback Jacob Hester scored LSU's first touchdown on a 3-yard run and finished with a combined 109 rushing and receiving yards. Charles Scott had three carries for 22 yards and an 11-yard catch on LSU's second touchdown drive.

The Tigers have so many outstanding backs that ultra-talented sophomore Keiland Williams didn't crack the starting lineup and carried the ball just seven times. He still rushed for 126 yards and scored touchdowns from 67 and 32 yards.

The more you saw LSU outrunning guys in maroon jerseys, the more you wondered whether the Tigers were playing Mississippi State again instead of a team that has boasted the nation's top-ranked defense each of the last two years.

LSU scored 24 points in the first 18½ minutes against a Virginia Tech defense that had allowed seven or fewer points in six of its last eight games.

Virginia Tech never gave up more than 325 yards of total offense last season. LSU gained 327 yards in the first half.

The Tigers might have surprised the rest of the nation with this flurry of points, but they didn't surprise themselves.

"When our offense started running the ball down their throat, they kind of sat back," Dorsey said. "They came out talking a little bit, but after a while they weren't saying too much."

As good as LSU's offense is, its defense may be even better.

Virginia Tech starting quarterback Sean Glennon went 2-for-10 for 16 yards before getting replaced by Tyrod Taylor late in the second quarter. The Hokies didn't make a third-down conversion until the second half.

LSU's secondary had the unenviable task of replacing safety LaRon Landry, a four-year starter and All-American who went to the Washington Redskins with the sixth overall pick in the draft. The Tigers have replaced him so well that they have as many interceptions (seven) as points allowed.

Curtis Taylor, who filled Landry's spot at free safety, sacked Glennon to end Virginia Tech's first possession and had a third-quarter interception nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty. Craig Steltz mans the other safety spot and recorded his fourth interception of the season Saturday.

"That's what LSU's all about," Steltz said of the way the Tigers have seamlessly replaced so many superstars. "We recruit guys to step up when guys go down or guys get drafted."

And they're ready to take an even bigger step forward.

LSU's performance might have looked just about perfect to everyone else, but the players insist they haven't even come close to reaching their potential.

"We played good, but not perfect," Hester said. "We need to get a lot better. There's a lot left in the tank."

Consider that a warning to the rest of the nation.