Jeff Palermo reporting...
Saturday’s season opener for the 6th ranked LSU Tigers could not have gone any better as the Bayou Bengals were clicking from the state and easily defeated Georgia Southern 55-3. The spread offense we heard about all offseason was as good as advertised as the Tigers scored on their first five possessions. Head Coach Ed Orgeron liked what he saw.
“I thought Joe (Burrow) was on fire, he threw some great balls, our receivers caught the ball, there were receivers that were open, there were great concepts going on out there, there were not sacks, which I was very proud of,” said Orgeron.
Quarterback Joe Burrow tied a school record with five touchdown passes. They all came in the first half. Three of them went to sophomore wide receiver Terrace Marshall. Burrow finished with 278 yards passing and expected a strong start to the season.
“A lot of teams expect rust in the first game, but when you have 19 returner starters there is no rust to be had,” said Burrow.
LSU’s defense had no trouble stopping Georgia Southern’s triple-option offensive attack. The Eagles had just 98 total yards. Defensive end Rashard Lawrence says they were coached up well.
“We played very well, it was very encouraging everyone on their responsibilities,” said Lawrence. “Coach O said for two weeks we got have a guy on the dive, quarterback and pitch and we knew if we stopped that we can make them one dimensional.”
The Tigers face a much bigger test in week two when they visit 10th ranked Texas on Saturday. The Longhorns easily handled Louisiana Tech 45-14.