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Blue leads No. 3 LSU in rout of Washington

Sep 9, 2012 - 8:05 AM Baton Rouge, LA (Sports Network) - Alfred Blue rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown as No. 3 LSU rolled over Washington, 41-3, on Saturday.

Zach Mettenberger completed 12-of-18 passes for 195 yards and a score for the Tigers, who extended their nation-best home win streak to 19 games, tying a school record established from Oct. 15, 2005-Nov. 10, 2007.

James Wright caught five balls for 75 yards as LSU (2-0) also extended its nation's best streak of regular season non-conference wins to 39.

"We rushed the football when we had to and we threw it when we wanted to. That was a nice night out for our offense," LSU coach Les Miles said.

Keith Price went 17-for-36 through the air for 157 yards with an interception for Washington (1-1), which was coming off a 21-12 win over San Diego State in its season opener.

Price was also sacked four times as the Huskies managed just 183 total yards against the stout LSU defense.

"It's pretty clear from the naked eye that's a pretty good football team that got after us tonight," Washington coach Steve Sarkisian admitted.

Washington caught an early break when LSU's Odell Beckham fumbled the opening kickoff and Taz Stevenson recovered the ball at the Tigers' 20-yard line.

The Huskies, though, would manage just four yards and had to settle for a 34- yard field goal by Travis Coons after Jaydon Mickens failed to hang on to a pass in the back corner of the end zone.

The teams then traded punts before LSU took over on offense at the Washington 38 when the Huskies were forced to kick from inside their own end zone and Blue reeled off a 21-yard touchdown run two plays later to put the Tigers on top.

An 18-yard punt by Washington's Korey Durkee later in the first quarter gave LSU the ball at the Huskies' 47-yard line and J.C. Copeland capped a seven- play drive with a one-yard plunge across the goal line.

The Tigers added to their lead with a pair of 10-play drives in the second quarter that Drew Alleman finished off with field goals of 18 and 32 yards to give LSU a 20-3 advantage at the half.

Blue's 17-yard run and Beckham's 24-yard reception highlighted a seven-play, 61-yard drive on LSU's first touch of the third quarter that Kenny Hilliard ended with a three-yard leap into the end zone to pull the Tigers even further away.

The Huskies marched down the to Tigers' 30 on their ensuing possession, but they opted to go for it on 4th-and-3 and Jalen Mills stepped in front of a Price pass for an interception, giving the ball back to LSU at its own 27-yard line.

Spencer Ware then took over at quarterback for the Tigers and found Kadron Boone deep down the right sideline for a 32-yard touchdown on the 10th play of a 73-yard drive to give LSU a 34-3 lead at the end of the third quarter.

After Washington failed to convert on a 4th-and-7 at the LSU 35, the Tigers moved down the field with 13 straight rushes before Hilliard leapt across the goal line from one yard out to finalize the scoring.

Game Notes

LSU has not lost at home since a 13-3 defeat by Florida on Oct. 10, 2009 ... Hilliard finished with 46 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries ... The Tigers finished with 437 total yards of offense ... LSU improved to 29-0 against non-conference foes under Miles ... The Tigers have outscored their opponents by a mark 82-17 this season.