It took six contests for the No. 25 LSU football team to surrender a touchdown in the first quarter.
A 15-play, 75-yard drive eating up the first eight minutes, two seconds of the game set up Southern Miss junior running back Ito Smith for a punch-in from one yard out as the Golden Eagles took an early lead.
After thirty minutes of gameplay – 18:35 of which was possessed by Southern Miss – LSU (3-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) and the Golden Eagles are knotted up, 10-10, at Tiger Stadium.
Junior wide receiver D.J. Chark was the lone Tiger finding the end zone in the first half after he took an end-around 19 yards, the second such rushing touchdown of his career.
LSU’s offense managed just 121 yards in the half, 56 of which came on DeSean Smith’s two catches, while sophomore running back Derrius Guice’s nine rushing attempts elicited 40 yards.
LSU briefly took the lead after senior kicker Colby Delhoussaye knocked in a 38-yard field goal, but Southern Miss sophomore kicker Parker Shaunfield answered right back with a 37 yarder.
Smith, the eighth-leading rusher in the nation with 711 yards entering the game, accounted for 71 percent of Southern Miss’ 135 offensive yards. He toted the ball 12 times for 58 yards and picked up 38 receiving yards on three catches.