LSU came away with 35-26 win over in Syracuse in front of an unenthusiastic crowd at Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers came flying out of the gate with an interception by redshirt freshman corner Greedy Williams on the first play from scrimmage. The third interception of the season for Williams led to a one-yard touchdown run by junior running back Derrius Guice on the next play.
However, the offensive line struggled to protect senior quarterback Danny Etling the rest of the quarter, and ended it with 10 yards of offense. Etling spent the majority of the first half evading rushers and trying to buy time outside the pocket.
“It was poor execution on our part,” senior F back J.D. Moore said. “They ran a lot of really complex pressures and movements, which is tough especially with a young offensive line.”
It was not until late in the second quarter that Etling was able to get protection and find a rhythm. Etling orchestrated a six play, 71 yard drive that culminated in a 43 yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Stephen Sullivan. It was the first touchdown of Sullivan’s career.
“We just kind of figured out what they were doing,” Etling said. “We had a plan of what they thought they do, and they got us a couple times. There were just some mistakes, and I kind of got a feel for what they were doing.”
The Tigers came out fast again to open the second half.
With a 14-3 lead, LSU scored on an 87-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Drake Davis.
Syracuse responded with a touchdown of its own after an eight play, 75 yard drive to tighten the lead to 11.
Each team exchanged drives before coach Ed Orgeron decided to switch to freshman quarterback Myles Brennan, who completed four passes for 75 yards with one interception.
“We wanted to give Myles Brennan some reps when the game was on the line to see what he could do,” Orgeron said. “Obviously he did well in some situations, got to get better in other ones. Danny is our starting quarterback, we just wanted to give Myles a chance when the game was on the line.”
Brennan and senior running back Darrel Williams connected on a 43 yard pass to put the Tigers in Syracuse territory. Williams scored on a 20 yard rush the next play to extend the Tigers lead to 28-10.
It was the fifth touchdown of the season for Williams, who had 92 yards on 16 carries against Syracuse.
The Tiger offense then struggled on its next two drives. Williams was tackled inside the end zone for a safety, and Brennan threw an interception on the Tigers following drive.
Syracuse and its quarterback Eric Dungey were able to cut the lead down to 28-26 with five minutes and 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but failed to recover the ensuing onside kick.
With Etling back in the game, the Tigers marched down the field and scored on a 20 yard rush by senior receiver D.J. Chark.
Etling finished the game 10-of-17 for 188 yards and two touchdowns in the game, and completed a pass to eight different receivers. 
The Tigers (3-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) will play Troy in Tiger Stadium next Saturday.