It was bound to happen eventually.
Finally, an LSU pass catcher exceeded 100 receiving yards for the first time since both junior Travin Dural and sophomore Malachi Dupre accomplished the feat on Sept. 12, 2014 against Mississippi State, the fourth week of the 2014 season.
On Saturday against the University of South Carolina, it was Dural notching 109 yards on four grabs, including a touchdown. But Dupre was equally effective, hauling in six balls for 74 yards and a score of his own.
After a rough night for both wideouts against Eastern Michigan University the week before, Dupre and Dural found their mojo early and often against the Gamecocks.
“We had a talk, and we said, ‘we can’t ever let that happen again,’” Dural said of the game against the Eagles. “We let the team down. We let the quarterback down”
That confidence was also evident in LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who didn’t shy away from opening things up with sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris from the opening kick.
With South Carolina employing at least 8 players in the tackle box to stop the run, the rejuvenated air attack was almost a necessity.
“I feel like if we wanted to run the ball, we could have kept running it,” Dupre said. “But at the same time, our coaches have trust in us, just like they have trust in our running backs. We just happen to have a tremendous amount of running backs.”
As Dupre also noted, the Gamecocks were relatively successful against the run in the first half, holding sophomore running back Leonard Fournette to just 49 yards for a team total of 103 rushing yards. But Harris had already exceeded both his career-highs in attempts and completions in the first half with Dural and Dupre responsible for three catches for more than 40 yards apiece.
More importantly, 28 of Dupre’s first-half yards came on a critical reception during a two-minute drive, setting up a field goal to end the half.
“That’s just a little taste of what we can do, and what we’ll keep improving on,” Dupre said.
For Dural, his only catch of the second half was a big one — a 62-yard touchdown — but it arrived as a stroke of luck. Harris’ 3rd-and-24 pass was intended for junior tight end Desean Smith, but it tipped off his outstretched hand, allowing Dural to fly behind him to catch it.
It’s not how Cameron would have drawn it up, but it worked.
“It just so happened that Brandon put enough on it to where it could have gotten to me with someone tipping it,” Dural said. “It’s not something we’ve ever practiced. It just so happened that I was in the right place at the right time.”
Though Dural and Dupre have shaken off the “very disappointing” game in week five, the road gets tougher immediately against No. 8 University of Florida, who rank second in the Southeastern Conference and 17th in the nation in passing efficiency defense. The Gator defense have also recorded a league-leading 13 turnovers.
One of those players from the other self-proclaimed “Defensive Back University” is junior cornerback and All-American Vernon Hargreaves, a formidable opponent for the LSU receiving corps despite missing the second half of last year’s game due to an injury.
“He’s a very smart player,” Dural said. “He knows what he’s doing. He knows his technique really well. He uses that to his advantage. You can tell he studies a lot of film. He knows the receivers he’s going against.”