ARLINGTONG, TEXAS — Offensive explosion.
Those words haven’t been used to describe an LSU football game in what seems
like an eternity. But Saturday night, in the 75th Annual AT&T Cotton Bowl, the 11th-
ranked Tigers offense went ballistic, racking up 41 points en route to a 41-24 rout of
No. 17 Texas A&M (9-4).
LSU (11-2) used its ground attack to net 288 yards to help give junior quarterback Jordan
Jefferson some cushion to let loose.
Jefferson took advantage of the opportunity and rocketed in 10 completions for 158
yards and three touchdowns. He also broke containment in the pocket on occasion
and was able to scramble for 78 yards on the evening.
“[Jefferson] pulled some key balls down tonight and picked up first downs with his
feet and kept some drives alive,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “It allowed us to score.
And I think his play tonight is one of the reasons why we win.”
But it was senior wide receiver Terrence Toliver who made his final moments in a
Tiger uniform some of his brightest.
Toliver was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player for the game after reeling in
five receptions for 112 yards and tied a Cotton Bowl record with three touchdowns.
The Hempstead, Texas, native’s three scoring grabs were the first time that an
LSU receiver has caught three touchdown passes in a game since Dwayne Bowe
accomplished the feat against Kentucky in 2006.
“Since I’ve been at LSU I’ve always wanted to play a Texas school,” Toliver said. “And
for this to be my last game, for me to have the game of my life, in my home state was
great for me. My family came to support me. I have a lot of support on this team. The
coaches put together a great game plan and we executed it to the fullest.”
The Tigers’ ground and pound attack was able to wear down the Aggie defense,
thanks in large part to the emergence of freshman running back Spencer Ware.
Ware carried the ball 10 times for 102 yards with a long rush of 26 yards. He gave
junior running back Stevan Ridley a breather when necessary, allowing Ridley to be
fresh to break free for 105 yards on 24 carries.
“With the last two weeks, me not being sure if I was going to be able to play, Spencer
has been in there taking the reps,” Ridley said. “And Spencer is a little athlete.
People don’t really realize how athletic he is. But he’s going to be a player.”
While the Tigers burst onto the scene in the first half for 28 points — their highest
output in a single half since they scored 30 in the first half of the season opener
against North Carolina — and finished the evening with 41 points and 446 total
yards, they must now carry the momentum they built Friday evening in Cowboy’s
Stadium and use it to lift the offense out of the cellar of the national rankings.
“I told them to just keep trying to get a little bit better every practice, and
I think they really took that to heart,” said LSU offensive coordinator Gary
Crowton. “Throughout our bowl preparation they a little bit better every day and
played with confidence. And now I’ll take that approach into spring ball. They know
what they need to do in preparation and we should get a little bit better there, a
little bit better in fall camp and I think we’ll have an outstanding opportunity to be a
very good football team.”
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Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]