LSU celebrated its senior night with an easy 42-10 win against Rice on Saturday night in the 2018 season’s last game in Tiger Stadium.
The outcome was never in doubt as the Tigers (9-2) dominated the Owls from start to finish.
“It was a great night for the Tigers,” said LSU coach Ed Orgeron. “We have 18 seniors. It was a lot of guys’ last night in Tiger Stadium, a great place to play. I thought it was a good night for our team. All our seniors got to play and a lot of guys got to play.”
LSU didn’t punt in the first half, scoring on four of six drives with Jontre Kirklin prematurely ending a drive with a fumble on a run out of the wildcat and the Tigers failing to score on the final drive of the half.
The Tigers got in the end zone on the rest of their drives to take a 28-3 lead into the break.
LSU got things started with a methodical 12-play, 79-yard drive capped off by a 3-yard touchdown rush by Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
The Tigers’ next drive didn’t last nearly as long, as Burrow found Stephen Sullivan for a 38-yard touchdown pass on the third play.
Two prominent seniors got in the end zone in LSU’s in the second quarter, first with running back Nick Brossette scoring from two yards out after a pass interference call in the end zone on the previous play, then with tight end Foster Moreau catching a 13-yard touchdown pass that put the Tigers up 28-0.
Brossette tallied 69 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries while Moreau caught five passes for 73 yards before coming out of the game in the third quarter.
Orgeron called the game one of Moreau’s best in an LSU uniform.
“There was no extra emphasis on getting seniors the ball and trying to score with the seniors,” Moreau said. “It just happened natrually. It happened organically, and that’s basically the best way for it to go. A good win was the best way to finish it off.”
Before the game, The families of seniors lined up along the hash marks and stood with them as they were honored in front of the crowd at Tiger Stadium.
Before the game, Brossette said he planned on having a framed photo of his brother — who died shortly before the Brossette’s freshman season started — along with his loved ones.
Instead, Brossette’s sister did one better and brought out a blanket stitched with his brothers’ likeness.
“It was emotional,” Brossette said while wearing a necklace containing a photo of his older brother. “I just felt my brother smiling down on me and everything. I was looking forward to this moment after last game. … It’s just crazy how fast this happened.
“My sister brought out the blanked out. I know he’s just smiling down on me right now. He’s jumping for joy that I finally got my opportunity and I’m taking advantage of it.”
Rice got on the board late in the half with a 51-yard field goal by Haden Tobola with 1:55 left before the break.
LSU attempted to extend its lead before the break, but after Justin Jefferson dropped a pass in the end zone, Joe Burrow was sacked to end the half.
Orgeron said taking the sack was one of the only glaring mistakes Burrow made on the night, as an incomplete pass would have allowed kicker Cole Tracy to attempt a field goal.
After Burrow led the Tigers back down the field for a touchdown in their first drive of the second half, he hung up his helmet for the night to make way for backup quarterback Myles Brennan.
Burrow completed 20 of 28 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns.
Brennan’s first drive of the night resulted in LSU’s first punt of the night as the Tigers stalled out at midfield.
“He was a little bit rusty at first,” Orgeron said. “He had a couple throws that were not on the money, but he got the hang of it. I asked him after the game how he felt, and he said it felt good to get hit.”
He then led the Tigers on a 6-play, 80-yard touchdown drive capped off by a three-yard touchdown run by Lanard Fournette.
“(Fournette) has not complained one time,” Orgeron said. “There have been some times when he probably should have gotten more carries and more of an opportunity. He’s done very well. He’s waited his turn. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Rice got in the end zone on a garbage-time drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown run by Juma Otoviano with less than three minutes remaining.
The Tigers have just one more game left in the regular season, and it’s a big one as they travel to College Station, Texas, for a season-ending showdown against Texas A&M.
Whether LSU wins could mean the difference between making a New Years Six bowl or playing in a lesser bowl in December.
But the Tigers are trying not to think too far ahead. They just want to get that much-desired 10th win under their belt.
“We just want to focus on going 1-0,” said LSU linebacker Devin White. “It’s a new week to go 1-0. We went 1-0 this week, now it’s time to go 1-0 next week. I asked all the guys who don’t have class (Monday morning) to come to the weight room at 7 a.m. with me. We’re going to start the tempo in the weight room early in the morning.”
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