BATON ROUGE — Wow, that was uncomfortable for a spell.
Early in the fourth quarter Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, No. 6 LSU found itself getting shut out in the second half, 14-0, and clinging to a 24-21 lead over 23-point underdog Louisiana Tech after leading 24-0 in the second period.
"DBU," short for Defensive Back University and something LSU should quit calling itself until it can finish first in the Southeastern Conference in pass defense for the first time since 2014, was getting shredded by Tech quarterback J'Mar Smith and wide receiver Adrian Hardy.
Smith completed 27 of 50 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Hardy caught 10 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. LSU's defense gave up 417 yards in all.
Then, just when it was most necessary, the Tigers (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) finally put together a drive in the second half to go back up by 10 points at 31-21 midway in the fourth quarter against the stubborn Bulldogs (2-1) and went on to a 38-21 win in front of about 60,000 fans in Tiger Stadium.
LSU scored its first points since midway in the second quarter on a 1-yard run by tailback Nick Brossette at the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter for the 10-point cushion after a good drive of 70 yards in 12 plays.
But it took another pass interference penalty for quarterback Joe Burrow to finish it off. On a critical third and eight from the Tech 15-yard line, Tech cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was called for pass interference against LSU wide receiver Dee Anderson in the end zone. LSU got a first and goal at the 2 yard line and was in business.
Last week, the Tigers got two pass interference calls at Auburn on its game-winning field goal drive for a 22-21 win.
"We can't play like that and expect to win in the SEC," a relieved but concerned LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. "We up 24-0. We've got to smell blood in the water and go get it. You put your hands down, you're going to get hit in the face. That's what happened. We couldn't put them away. Those guys kept on fighting. We won the game, but it wasn't good enough. We're not happy."
LSU finally did put Tech away with another touchdown with 2:23 to go for the 38-21 final on a 1-yard run by tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who finished with a career-high 136 yards on 20 carries, while Brossette added 78 on 23 carries.
The Tigers had to drive only 46 yards in seven plays for those final points as their defense stopped a fourth and half-yard sneak by Smith. Nose tackle Breiden Fehoko and middle linebacker Jacob Phillips along with defensive linemen Ed Alexander and Glen Logan stuffed Smith for no gain with 6:54 to go. And LSU had all the momentum again.
"That fourth-down stop was a big deal," Orgeron said.
Smith had picked apart LSU's secondary on a 71-yard drive in seven plays to get the Bulldogs within 24-21 with 12:57 left on a 42-yard touchdown pass to Hardy. Smith finished 21 of 40 for 240 yards and two touchdowns after three quarters, and Hardy had six of those catches for 103 yards at the time.
"We have some work to do," said Orgeron, whose team plays SEC teams for the next six games beginning with Ole Miss at 8:15 p.m. Saturday on ESPN in Tiger Stadium. "We couldn't stop them. We never thought we had the game won."
Tech took the third quarter kickoff and promptly moved 75 yards in 13 plays to get within 24-14 with 9:10 to go in the period. LSU forced a fourth-and-goal play from its 1 yard line, but Tech went for it. And Smith didn't try a sneak. He found wide receiver Bobby Holly for the touchdown.
The Tigers went up 24-0 midway in the second quarter in what was looking like a blowout as Edwards-Helaire scored on a 28-yard run. That followed the first career interception of LSU senior safety Ed Paris at the Tech 28.
But the Tigers would not score again for two full quarters. Tech scored its first touchdown to get within 24-7 on a 20-yard pass from Smith to Hardy with 4:23 to go in the second quarter on 75-yard drive in 11 plays.
LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda was incensed about that drive as the Tigers appeared to be looking at the scoreboard too much.
"At halftime, he was very upset with our effort there on that drive," Orgeron said.
And Tech could have drawn closer to end the first half, but kicker Bailey Hale missed a 50-yard field goal attempt that hit the crossbar as time expired. The Bulldogs were attempting to turn LSU's first turnover of the season into points. Tech defensive end Jaylon Ferguson forced the fumble when he sacked Burrow for a 12-yard loss to the LSU 36. Defensive tackle Keonatye Garner recovered.
LSU was the only upper-level division college football team without a turnover entering the game.
The Tigers took a 17-0 lead on a 24-yard field goal by Cole Tracy with 9:17 to go in the second quarter. It was Tracy's ninth field goal on the season in 10 attempts. The kick came after a 68-yard drive in nine plays.
A takeaway by LSU also set up the Tigers' touchdown for a 14-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter on a 1-yard run by Brossette. LSU linebacker Devin White picked up a fumble and raced 29 yards to the 3 yard line to give the Tigers that opportunity. White at first scored on the play, but a review showed he had stepped out on the Tech 3-yard line. Hardy had just caught a 13-yard pass over the middle, but cornerback Kristian Fulton stripped the ball out.
The Tigers went three and out on their first drive, but quickly recovered to take a 7-0 lead on a 78-yard drive in 11 plays with 9:20 to go in the first quarter.
Burrow completed 2 of 3 passes on the drive for 30 yards with a 9-yard completion to tight end Foster Moreau and a 21-yard connection with wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase to the 1-yard line. Brossette scored from there and led all rushers with 42 yards on seven carries in the first quarter. Edwards-Helaire led all rushers at halftime with 91 yards on 13 carries.
Burrow was 5 of 8 for 56 yards in the first quarter and finished 16 of 28 for 191 yards and no interceptions.
For the game, Tech gained 417 yards on 76 plays to 409 yards on 76 plays by LSU.
In the end, it was a tennis match. LSU's offense is still a work in progress, but it is improving.
Meanwhile, the most disappointing part of the game for LSU was its defense as "DBU" did not play up to standard. LSU was without starting free safety John Battle because of a suspension for targeting at Auburn, but that was only in the first half. He was replaced by sophomore Todd Harris, who started for the first time in his career.
"We're going to have to play a lot better than this obviously," Orgeron said. "We've got to get better pressure. We've got to use better technique. We've got to look at our rush. We've got to look at our coverage."
Injury Report
LSU starting left guard Garrett Brumfield left the game in the first quarter with what appeared to be a leg injury. He was replaced by true freshman Chasen Hines.
Regular starting left tackle Saahdiq Charles did not dress out for the game because of a leg injury and was replaced by junior transfer Badara Traore. Staring outside linebacker Ray Thornton did not play after getting hurt on the opening kickoff at Auburn last week. Andre Anthony replaced Thornton.
Starting defensive end Rashard Lawrence left the game in the second quarter with an injury but returned to open the second half. Starting strong safety Grant Delpit also left in the second quarter, but he returned in the third quarter.
Next Week
LSU (4-0, 1-0 SEC) will host Ole Miss (3-1, 0-1 SEC) at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN. The Rebels defeated Kent State, 38-17, on Saturday.
