Then-No. 25 University of Florida proved its legitimacy with a 28-point stomping of then-No. 3 University of Mississippi.
By the same score, then-No. 13 University of Alabama placed itself back in the hunt with a beatdown of then-No. 8 University of Georgia on the road.
Then-No. 14 Texas A&M University put away a pesky then-No. 25 Mississippi State University team by double digits.
As for then-No. 9 LSU, it beat Eastern Michigan University by three scores, but the final tally doesn’t indicate the struggle to send the unranked Eagles packing with their fourth loss of the season. Much like last week against Syracuse, Saturday’s contest wasn’t a foregone conclusion for the Tigers (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) by the start of the fourth quarter.
“They didn’t look at the 45-point favorite,” said junior defensive tackle Christian LaCouture to the media after the game. “They wanted to come in here and win. They knew they were huge underdogs. We had to bring our A-game. They were very feisty and intense, but toward the end, we wore them down a bit. That was a good game, and we are glad to get a ‘W’.”
LSU coach Les Miles harped all week about not taking the Mid-American Conference program for granted and was convinced of its talented based on a performance against Michigan State University last season, a game Eastern Michigan lost, 73-14.
“If you watched that game, Michigan State was certainly a highly-ranked team,” Miles said at his post-game press conference. “So we knew we were playing a team that was capable, could move the football and had players. I’m glad that we responded the way we did. We are certainly not perfect.”
The Tigers needed another 200-yard rushing performance and three touchdowns from sophomore running back Leonard Fournette to keep the offense flowing when the passing game struggled.
The defense, which frequently rotated some second-teamers, looked porous at times, but it came up with back-to-back interceptions, including a pick six from senior linebacker Deion Jones, to seal the Eagles’ fate in the fourth quarter.
While Fournette was blunt about his team’s overall effort, saying the Tigers took the Eagles “light,” Jones said he knew the Eagles would present a challenge
“We try to take everybody as any other team,” Jones told the media after the game. “We knew those guys were going to come in and play. On film, they were a really good team with what they do and how they play. They gave us a run for our money a little bit. We hope those guys win out, and let’s look forward to South Carolina now.”
While a few of LSU’s SEC counterparts either made statements or reaffirmed their stance in the conference this weekend, re-entering SEC play against the Gamecocks (2-3, 0-3 SEC) could be what the Tigers need to refocus.
Although South Carolina has sputtered in league games, senior offensive tackle Vadal Alexander expects the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, to be energized
“It’s fun when you get into SEC play,” Alexander said Saturday. “On the road — great environment at South Carolina. I remember going there on a visit when I was in high school and just how electric it was. So we have to be ready for it. As an offense, we have to stay calm, cool and collected. I look forward to this week of just getting prepared for it and getting the guys ready for it.”