SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 13, 2014
No. 9 LSU 31, Louisiana-Monroe 0: Darrel Williams rushed for two touchdowns and Leonard Fournette and Kenny Hilliard added one apiece as the Tigers overcame a slow start in a dominant win over the visiting Warhawks.
Anthony Jennings was 11-of-18 for 139 yards with one interception for LSU (3-0), which recorded its second straight shutout and extended its winning streak against non-conference foes to 48 games. The Tigers held Louisiana-Monroe to 44 yards of total offense in the first half but only led 10-0 at the break.
Pete Thomas completed 16-of-30 passes for 77 yards for Louisiana-Monroe (2-1), which recorded just five first downs and finished with 93 total yards. Centarius Donald rushed 10 times for 24 yards after averaging 114 yards in the Warhawks’ first two games.
LSU went three-and-out on its first two possessions before ending the first quarter with a 3-0 lead on Colby Delahoussaye’s 21-yard field goal. Williams capped a 10-play, 85-yard drive with a 22-yard TD run early in the second quarter, but the Tigers were held scoreless for the rest of the half, which ended on Jennings’ first interception of the season.
While Louisiana-Monroe struggled to generate any offense, LSU took control in the third quarter on Williams’ 1-yard score and Fournette’s 24-yard TD run. Hilliard began the fourth quarter with a 4-yard score for the Tigers, who have held opponents without a point on 31 consecutive possessions.
GAME NOTEBOOK: LSU, which improved to 35-0 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, begins SEC play on Saturday against Mississippi State. .... Since trailing 24-7 in its season opener, LSU has outscored its opponents 108-0. … Louisiana-Monroe extended its streak of recording at least one turnover to 29 games.