STARKVILLE, Miss. — Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. talk about it all the time.
Most players wouldn’t acknowledge being hailed as the best receiving tandem in the country. But with the LSU junior wide receivers operating at such a high rate of production, it’s hard to award that title to anyone else.
“It’s something we wanted to take pride in and something we wanted to embrace,” Beckham said. “Honestly, I do feel as if we are the best combination in the nation. We work hard and feel as if we’re only going to get better with time.”
The duo strengthened their campaign in Starkville, Miss. on Saturday night, playing instrumental roles in No. 10 LSU’s (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) 59-26 thrashing of Mississippi State (2-3, 0-2 SEC).
Beckham had his way with the Bulldogs’ secondary, scoring twice while setting career highs with 179 yards and nine catches. Landry found plenty of openings as well, as he hauled in eight receptions for 96 yards.
Beckham and Landry remained the favorite targets for senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who completed 25 of 29 attempts and racked up 340 yards through the air. The juniors grabbed 17 of Mettenberger’scompletions and 275 of his passing yards, and the senior quarterback maintained it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“Jarvis and Odell both, ever since their freshman year, we’ve all kind of got over the shock and awe and craziness they can have with their catches,” Mettenberger said. “But Jarvis definitely has some of the best hands I’ve ever seen.”
Landry now has 616 receiving yards on the season, and his seven touchdown catches in 2013 eclipses his former season high of five.
Beckham leads LSU with 686 yards and six touchdowns, more than he had scored in his first two years in Baton Rouge. Six weeks into the season, Beckham and Landry are nationally ranked fifth and ninth, respectively, in receiving yards.
Beckham gave credit to Mettenberger, who consistently threw precise strikes to the duo.
“The defense was giving us a lot of room to work, and [Mettenberger] was putting the ball exactly where it needed to be,” Beckham said. “The defender was right on me, and he just puts it where it needs to be.”
Though the Tigers dazzled in the passing game, they struck a fearsome balance with 223 rushing yards split between four running backs. Sophomore running back Jeremy Hill led the pack with 157 yards and two scores, and junior running back Kenny Hilliard found the end zone a career-high total of three times.
“Any time you have balance in an offense, and [the opponent] is concerned you’re going to throw the football, they’re not
comfortable with the call they make,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “If they’re indecisive, we have the opportunity to take advantage of them on one side or the other.”
The Tigers took advantage indeed, amassing 563 offensive yards while posting a season-high 59 points on the porous Mississippi State defense.
However, the Bulldogs feasted on an abysmal Tiger defense, pulling to within two points with 12 minutes left in the third quarter. But LSU reeled off 31 unanswered points to close the game, with most of the damage coming by way of a four-touchdown explosion in the final fifteen minutes.
With Beckham’s video game-like numbers and Landry’s knack for picking up key first downs, the Tigers know exactly what kind of combination they have. Junior defensive tackle Anthony Johnson made that clear when he said Beckham and Landry make up the country’s best wide receiver duo.
But offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said he’s not concerned with the tandem’s reputation as the best in the nation. Saturday’s contest was just a snapshot of Beckham and Landry, and they’ve got another six games to stake their claim as the best one-two punch in the land.
“Jarvis and Odell are special,” Cameron said. “But that’s this week, and we have to make sure that they’re up and running for next week.”

Gallery • 11 Photos

Mariel Gates

LSU senior running back Alfred Bkue (4) and senior wide receiver James Wright (82) tackle Mississippi State junior wide receiver Jameon Lewis (4) on Saturday Oct. 5, 2013 during the 59-26 victory against Mississippi State in Davis Wade Stadium.