By Patrick Clay, Sports Showtime Web Assistant

The last time the LSU Tigers were ranked No. 1 entering a game against the Kentucky Wildcats turned out to be less than fruitful, so the Tigers looked to not have a repeat of history.

Mission accomplished.

LSU defeated Kentucky soundly with a score of 35-7, bringing their record as the No. 1 ranked team under Coach Les Miles to 3-2.

“I asked the team to re-pay a debt to the ’07 team before this game,” Miles said. “They took my message to heart.”

In the days prior to the game, Miles said recently-reinstated quarterback Jordan Jefferson would see some playing time, and held true to his word. Jefferson quickly made his presence known, as his first play from scrimmage this season was a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Tigers an early 7-0 lead.

Jefferson finished the game with 29 yards on 4 carries, despite not attempting a single pass.

Meanwhile, starting quarterback Jarett Lee saw his production drop a little from the first four games of the season. Lee completed 8 of 21 attempts for a 169 yards and a touchdown, including a 51-yard touchdown pass to receiver Odell Beckham, which saw the receiver slice through the Kentucky secondary en route for the score.

On defense, sophomore cornerback Tyrann Mathieu broke the school record for most career forced fumbles, including one that he brought back 23 yards for the score, putting the Tigers up 28-0. After the game, Mathieu said “it felt great” to break the record so early in his career.

“It’s a big testament to our coaches,” Mathieu said. “I couldn’t have done this without them.”

The Tiger defense constantly pressured Kentucky’s offense in the first half, keeping them from getting a first down until well into the second quarter. The Tigers also held UK quarterback Morgan Newton without a completion in his first 7 attempts.

Kentucky did not even threaten to score until the Tigers were winning 35-0.

“I felt like the defense definitely came out and set the tone today,” Coach Miles said.

Running back Alfred Blue had his best game of the season, running for 72 yards on 16 carries with one score. Freshman running back Terrence Magee made his LSU debut, running for 38 yards on 12 carries with one score as well.

LSU continues their SEC play with a game against No. 12 ranked Florida in Death Valley on Saturday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is at 2:30.

Contact Patrick at [email protected]