Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs LSU Tigers Match Player Stats On Sep 10, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Sep 10, 2016

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Derrius Guice played in place of injured All-America running back Leonard Fournette and ran for 155 yards and a touchdown as No. 21 LSU defeated Jacksonville State 34-13 in a non-conference game Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

Guice, a sophomore who had just one 100-yard game previously, became the focal point of the offense as Fournette rested a sore ankle that he sprained in preseason camp three weeks ago and aggravated in a 16-14 loss to Wisconsin on Sept. 3.

The LSU offense didn't come to life, though, until Danny Etling made his Tigers debut and replaced struggling Brandon Harris at quarterback at the start of the second quarter. The junior transfer from Purdue led a 70-yard touchdown drive on his first possession, triggering touchdowns on four consecutive LSU possessions as the Tigers took control with a 27-10 halftime lead.

Etling, who completed 6 of 14 passes for 100 yards with a touchdown and an interception, ran 2 yards for a touchdown that gave LSU a 34-10 lead after three quarters.

The Tigers held just a 13-10 lead late in the second quarter before getting a handle on Jacksonville State's dual-threat quarterback Eli Jenkins and holding the Gamecocks scoreless from that point until Cade Stinnett kicked a 28-yard field goal with 4:27 left in the game.



LSU improved to 1-1 heading into its SEC opener against Mississippi State next Saturday in Tiger Stadium. The Gamecocks, a perennial FCS power, fell to 1-1 heading into their home game against Coastal Carolina next Saturday.

Jacksonville State took advantage of field position resulting from LSU going three-and-out on its first two possessions and drove 33 yards to set up Stinnett's 30-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.

Etling replaced Harris at quarterback on the Tigers third possession.

Etling immediately gave the offense a lift, leading a 70-yard drive that ended with a 46-yard touchdown pass to tight end DeSean Smith that gave LSU a 6-3 lead after the extra point was blocked.

The Tigers increased the lead to 13-3 on their next possession as Guice ran 4 yards for a touchdown.

On the first play after the kickoff, the Gamecocks responded with a 76-yard touchdown pass from Jenkins to Krenwick Sanders to trim the lead to 13-10.

LSU answered with a 2-yard touchdown run by Bry'Kiethon Mouton and a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown by Tre'Davious White that that gave it a 27-10 halftime lead.

NOTES: The game started 55 minutes late because of a weather delay. It was the second consecutive year that the Tigers' home opener was disrupted by weather. Last season's opener against McNeese State entered a rain delay after 10 plays, did not resume that night and was never made up. ... Jacksonville State junior WR Kevin Spears is a native of New Orleans who spent three years in the LSU program. He played in 12 games before transferring after the 2015 season. ... This was the first meeting between LSU and Jacksonville State.