The No. 14-ranked LSU (5-2, 2-2) will play for its 11th straight win in Tiger Stadium on Saturday when the Tigers host the Fresno State Bulldogs (1-5, 1-2) at 8 p.m. Fresno State comes into the game reeling after a 68-37 home loss against the University of Hawaii this past Saturday. Despite the loss, LSU coach Les Miles said his team will not overlook its opponent. “They have beaten 10 [Bowl Championship Series] teams,” Miles said at his weekly press conference. “They are really known for their ability to reach up and strike great, talented opponents.” Last season, Fresno State traveled to Los Angeles and held a 21-7 halftime advantage over then No. 1 University of Southern California before being defeated, 50-42. The following week, Fresno was defeated 38-35 by the University of Nevada. Junior running back Jacob Hester said the Bulldogs’ inconsistency must keep the Tigers ready to play. “They have proved they are capable of beating anyone they play,” he said. “So we have to go out and play our best game.” Sophomore Sean Norton will get his first start at quarterback for the Bulldogs. Norton has completed 14 of 24 passes in limited action this season. Norton said his job will be very difficult Saturday because of the LSU defense. “They’re a great defense, so it poses a great challenge for not only myself but for the whole offense,” he said. LSU enters the game following a 49-0 victory over the University of Kentucky last weekend. Junior quarterback JaMarcus Russell led the Tigers’ offensive attack, completing 15 of 18 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Russell is facing a secondary this week that gave up over 400 yards passing to Hawaii. “Wow, I’ll tell you, we ran into a buzz saw [against Hawaii],” Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. “We just couldn’t slow them down defensively.” Hill said his team must play a solid game Saturday because of the quality of opponent it is facing. “We got all their games from last year and studied them, and this [team] is the real deal,” he said. LSU’s newfound running game helped to balance the offense last weekend. The Tigers gained 274 yards on the ground thanks to the efforts of true freshmen Charles Scott and Keiland Williams. Scott gained 58 yards on nine carries, and Williams rushed eight times for 48 yards. Fresno State has also put more of an emphasis on running the football lately. Junior running back Dwayne Wright has led the Bulldogs’ ground game, gaining 113.2 yards a game this season. Norton said the transition from a “run-first” team is part of the reason the team has started so slow this season. “I think we’ve done a good job adapting,” he said. “Obviously the record doesn’t show that right now, but we’re coming along.” Defensively, the Tigers maintained their mark as the nation’s No. 1 defense, holding Kentucky to only 227 yards of total offense last week. “When you play that kind of football, you can expect to have a dominant Saturday,” Miles said. Despite the team’s poor record, Norton said last year’s USC game has all of his teammates believing they can play competitively Saturday against LSU. “We can play with the big guys,” he said. “We can play up there with anyone else.”
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