After notching back-to-back wins against Southeastern Conference opponents to open the 2015 season, the No. 8 LSU football team started its nonconference schedule Saturday with a 34-24 victory against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. 
The Tigers’ (3-0, 2-0 SEC) offense thrived behind sophomore running back Leonard Fournette’s record-breaking performance. Fournette became the first Tiger in program history to mark back-to-back 200-yard games with 228 yards against Auburn and 244 yards against the Orange (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). 
While Fournette dominated Syracuse with his speed and power in the in the backfield, sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris shined in an efficient 8-for-16 passing performance with a season-high 157 passing yards and a touchdown. 
Fournette broke the deadlock with an 14-yard touchdown run with 3:56 left in the first quarter, for his seventh touchdown of the season. 
The Orange got on the board with a 43-yard field goal by freshman kicker Cole Murphy, but the Tigers headed into the halftime break with a 7-3 lead. 
After driving down to Syracuse’s four-yard line, LSU settled for a 21-yard field goal by junior kicker Trent Domingue with 9:44 remaining in the third quarter. 
Despite struggling with punt returns all afternoon, junior cornerback Tre’Davious White weaved his way behind blockers for touchdown return with 7:48 remaining in the third quarter, extending LSU’s lead to 17-3. 
The Orange’s sophomore quarterback Zack Mahoney answered with a 40-yard bomb to freshman wide receiver Brisly Estime with 6:02 remaining in the third quarter. 
Almost two minutes later, Fournette extended the Tigers’ lead to two touchdowns with a breakout 62-yard touchdown run.
Despite the Fournette’s explosive run, Mahoney fought back with a two-yard touchdown reception by freshman wide receiver Ben Louis, cutting LSU’s lead 24-17 with 12:06 left in the fourth quarter. 
Domingue capped off the Tigers’ scoring with a 37-yard yard field goal with 5:11 left. Mahoney earned his way into the end zone with a five-yard touchdown pass, cutting LSU’s lead to only 10 with 1:53 remaining. 
But LSU recovered Syracuse’s onside kick attempt and ran out the clock, sealing the Tigers’ victory.