Two days after its 59-13 win at Arizona, LSU football players were all smiles Monday, and they reiterated the word “domination.”
Expecting more of an opposition from the Wildcats, the Tigers were surprised with how easily they were able to move the ball while keeping the Arizona offense at bay.
“We played pretty well,” said senior tackle Rodney Reed. “I thought (Arizona) would do better, but with the way we played, I think we would have done that against any team. As long as we stay focused on the process and not the opposing team, we’ll be fine.”
The Tigers’ offense scored on each of its first six possessions Saturday, while holding the Wildcats to just 182 yards of offense.
“I thought they would move the ball better,” said senior safety Jack Hunt. “But after the first quarter, or probably even after the first five minutes of the game, we could tell they lost their excitement and their will.”
Through the Wildcats’ first 13 offensive possessions, the Tigers forced them to punt 10 times, intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble.
“We wanted to set the tone early and let them know that we were out there and we were ready,” said junior defensive end Marcus Spears. “And that’s what we did. When coach told us to dominate, it was the first time I really knew what dominate meant. To dominate means to make the guy not want to play with you anymore. And we did that Saturday.”
Spears said the Tigers can be as good as they want to be this year, as long as they remain healthy and do not have any unforeseen circumstances combat the chemistry of the team.
Senior offensive guard Stephen Peterman echoed Spears’ sentiments and said this team could be as good as they want to be.
“If we do what the coaches say, every play can work perfectly,” Peterman said. “For the past few years, we always haven’t been able to run the plays like the coaches wanted because of missed assignment.”
Through two games, LSU leads the Southeastern Conference in scoring, passing offense, first downs and total defense, while ranking second in total offense.
Sophomore running back Joseph Addai leads the team in rushing and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry along with 83.5 yards per game and said the offense is only going to get better.
“Our offense can be used in so many different ways,” Addai said. “Right now we’re just working on what we can correct. But we have so many options of what we can do to move the ball.”
Junior receiver Michael Clayton said the offense is benefiting from another year of experience as well as an outstanding group of playmakers.
“As an offense, we have graduated from last year,” Clayton said. “We are more mature. We were able to find the chemistry we needed and [offensive coordinator Jimbo] Fisher has done a great job.”
Division I-AA foe Western Illinois comes to town Saturday for a 7 p.m. matchup in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers hope to build on the type of mastery they showcased against Arizona.
“(The Arizona game) was satisfying,” Peterman said. “But we’ve got to get better. We play a tough team this week and then the SEC starts. We have to continue to improve.”