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LSU blanks Middle Tennessee in 44-point drubbing

Sep 16, 2007 - 4:20 AM BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Ticker) -- Louisiana State proved why it is the second-ranked team in the nation.

LSU piled up 505 yards of offense and allowed just 90 yards to Middle Tennessee en route to a dominating 44-0 victory on Saturday.

Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux led the Tigers' offense, making his first career start in place of the injured Matt Flynn, who hurt his ankle during last week's 48-7 thrashing of then-No. 9 Virginia Tech.

"I like the fact that our football team, no matter who we play, comes out with a level of excellence and passion," LSU coach Les Miles said. "Our guys understand in every contest we come to play."

Perrilloux completed 20-of-25 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns before being replaced by Andrew Hatch with six minutes left in the third quarter.

"We challenged some young guys today to add their talents to the room, to the game. And I liked the way they responded," Miles said. "(Perrilloux) played well. He handles pressure in the pocket. He got roughed up a little bit and came back and seemed to show composure."

LSU (3-0) has outscored its opponents, 137-7, over the first three games and has scored 40 or more points in its opening three contests for the first time since 1930.

The Tigers' defense surrendered just nine yards rushing and 81 yards passing to Middle Tennessee (0-3), registering their second shutout of the season.

"That was a very talented offense that was knocked off their feet by our defense," Miles said. "We only punted one time and kicked off a lot. That was good."

LSU forced a fumble while adding six sacks and 12 tackles for loss and has held opposing teams scoreless in two of its first three games for the first time since 1959.

The Tigers opened the scoring when Colt David hit a 29-yard field goal, capping off a 12-play, 64-yard drive with 10:36 left in the first quarter.

Perrilloux connected with Charles Scott on a 13-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the first quarter before hooking up with Demetrius Byrd for a 62-yard score to give LSU a 17-0 lead with 9:47 left in the second quarter.

David added two field goals from 35 and 26 yards, as the Tigers took a 23-0 lead into the locker room.

"I thought we hung in there pretty well," Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill said. "Our defense held them to three field goals in the first half. I thought our defense competed well and made them earn everything they got."

LSU cemented the game in the third quarter, scoring three touchdowns in the period.

Brandon LaFell scored on an 18-yard touchdown run before Perrilloux connected with Terrance Toliver on a 15-yard score just over a minute later.

"The coaches prepared us well," Perrilloux said. "We just went out and executed. I was real nervous, but after the first snap all the jitters go away, and you relax. It was fun to get my first start. It was definitely a boost for my confidence."

Richard Murphy capped off the third-quarter scoring when he visited the end zone on an eight-yard run, as the Tigers' lead swelled to 44-0.

"You have to play perfect against a team like LSU," Stockstill said. "They swamped us. They stuffed us. They were just too strong, too physical."