Appalachian State shocked Michigan in 2007. James Madison University stunned Virginia Tech in September.
 
Both games involved a ranked Football Bowl Subdivision team pitted against a supposedly inferior Football Championship Subdivision team. And both games ended with the same result: David defeated Goliath.
 
No. 9 LSU hopes to avoid a similar letdown when it hosts McNeese State (2-3, 1-1) on Saturday. Sophomore wide receiver Russell Shepard knows that if the Tigers (6-0, 4-0) want to stay undefeated, they can’t get caught looking past the Cowboys.
 
“If you look at the win-loss columns, we are one of the premier teams in this country,” Shepard said. “If we want to stay that way, we need to treat McNeese like this is a Florida game — like it’s another big game. If we want to be 7-0, we need to go out there and handle our business.”
 
McNeese State comes to Death Valley one week after the Tigers’ narrow victory against No. 22 Florida. The past two years, LSU nearly fell to non-BCS opponents following games against ranked Southeastern Conference teams.
 
Last season, following a loss to then-No. 3 Alabama, the Tigers squeaked past Louisiana Tech, 24-16. In 2008, following an overtime loss to a top-ranked Crimson Tide team, LSU trailed Troy 31-10 in the fourth quarter before mounting the largest comeback in LSU history and winning, 40-31.
 
“We were coming off a big game,” said senior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, who was a sophomore for the Troy game. “Guys probably didn’t hype themselves up as much as for other games. They came in here and stunned us and almost won.”
 
In both of those games, LSU was outgained by its opponents, but McNeese State doesn’t appear to pose the same threat. The Cowboys return only four starters from an offense that averaged 35 points per game a year ago. But this year’s squad ranks only sixth in the Southland Conference in scoring offense with 20.2 points per game.
 
“We want to go into this game with another dominant game plan and hopefully shut those guys out,” said junior cornerback Patrick Peterson. “That’s the whole defensive goal we go into each and every other game with.”
 
Peterson hopes to bounce back from a letdown of his own after his disappointing game against Florida. The Heisman hopeful muffed a punt and missed the last three defensive series with cramps. His health issues continue to be a concern for LSU coach Les Miles.
 
“We are working on it,” Miles said. “I can tell you that. It doesn’t necessarily appear to be a hydration issue. We are trying to put him in a position where he can get to the back end of games and have the same energy and flow that he has at the beginning.”
 
But even when cramps force Peterson off the field, the Tigers’ defense — which ranks atop the SEC in total defense — doesn’t seem to miss a beat. The defense has received major contributions from freshman cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and sophomore cornerback Morris Claiborne, who leads the team with three interceptions.
 
“Those guys continue to play big,” Peterson said. “We have so many guys that can go out there and contribute to this team. [Defensive backs] coach [Ron] Cooper has trust in them, and I have trust in them, as well.”
 
The speed and athleticism of the LSU defense has certainly garnered the attention of McNeese State coach Matt Viator.
 
“It’s amazing to me what [defensive coordinator John] Chavis has done on defense, what he has put together,” Viator said. “I’ve never seen anybody do what they do on defense. They continue to run good players in down after down after down.”
 
The LSU offense doesn’t want to experience a letdown of its own against a McNeese State defense that has allowed 380.4 yards per contest. The Tigers’ total offense has increased from 299.8 to 409.5 yards per game since committing to a dual-quarterback system, featuring juniors Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee, against Tennessee.
 
“I think [offensive coordinator] Gary [Crowton] is finding out exactly what is best for both guys in a pretty routine basis and trying to give us a competitive advantage there,” Miles said. “I think he is doing a heck of a job.”
 
According to Miles, the state of Louisiana will certainly not be let down when these two schools face off for the first time.
 
“I recognize that McNeese State is a very talented team,” Miles said. “I know they will play their best, and the state will turn out for this game. Certainly the community and the rest of the state will enjoy filling Tiger Stadium and enjoy watching two teams from this state square off and play.”
 
 
 
 
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]