LSU handles Rice with ease in home finale, 42-10

BATON ROUGE- The No. 10 LSU football team racked up 552 offensive yards and held Rice to 198 yards to work its way to a 42-10 victory on Senior Night in Tiger Stadium Saturday.

LSU (9-2, 5-2 SEC) built a 28-3 lead at halftime before the defense limited Rice to one touchdown in the second half.

LSU will travel to Texas A&M for its final regular season contest of 2018. The Tigers will square off against the Aggies in College Station, Texas, at Kyle Field in a game televised by the SEC Network on Saturday, November 24 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

LSU outgained Rice 552-198 offensively. Rice held the ball for 35:33 of the contest while LSU recorded 24:27 in time of possession.

The Tigers recorded 31 first downs and were 5-of-8 on third down conversions.

Offensively, quarterback Joe Burrow finished the night with a career high completions and yards after passing 20-of-28 for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Myles Brennan entered the game midway through the third quarter and was 4-of-6 for 65 yards.

Foster Moreau and Derrick Dillon led the receiving corps, each recording career-high five catches. Moreau had a touchdown with a career-high 73 yards, and Stephan Sullivan had a career-high 94 yards with a touchdown. Moreau’s five catches gives him 46 career receptions, which puts him ninth all-time on LSU’s career list of receptions by a tight end.

Senior running back Nick Brossette ran the ball 14 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Lanard Fournette and Clyde Edwards-Helaire each recorded rushing touchdowns as well.

The Tigers were led by Devin White, Jacob Phillips, JaCoby Stevens and Michael Divinity on the defensive front. White compiled nine tackles and Stevens, Phillips and Divinity each had seven.

Cole Tracy was a perfect 6-of-6 on point after attempts, and Avery Atkins recorded six touchbacks on his six kickoffs.

Rice quarterback Shawn Stankavage finished the night 7-of-13 for 101 yards. The Owls were led by running back Aston Walker who had 72 yards on 23 attempts. D’Angelo Ellis had three receptions for 66 yards, and Treshawn Chamberlain made 10 tackles.

LSU recorded two third down conversions to open the game and begin the offensive barrage. On 3rd-and-4 at the LSU 37, Joe Burrow handed the ball to Nick Brossette, who rushed for 13 yards and the first down. Three plays later, Burrow connected with wideout Terrace Marshall Jr. for 16 yards. With 11:06 left in the opening quarter, sophomore running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire capped the 79-yard, 12 play drive by running it into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown, his seventh of the season.

After a 15-yard punt return by Jonathan Giles, LSU opened its second drive in the Wildcat formation with Jontre Kirklin at quarterback. The sophomore rushed for four yards and fumbled the ball, which was recovered on the LSU 35-yard line by Rice defensive back Prudy Calderon.

The Tiger defense does what it does best, limiting the Owls to just one yard after the fumble. Rice’s Jack Fox attempted a 52-yard field goal but was wide left, putting LSU on its 34-yard line with 7:07 left in the first quarter.

LSU only needed three plays to take the 14-0 lead, a 19-yard reception by senior tight end Foster Moreau, a 9-yard dash by Brossette and then the highlight of the drive, a 38-yard ball from Burrow to Stephan Sullivan. The touchdown was Sullivan’s second of season and Burrow’s eighth.

With 13:06 left in the first half, Brossette capped a 79-yard drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown, his 11th this season. Placekicker Cole Tracy was good on his third extra point attempt of the night to extend LSU’s lead to 21-0.

The Tigers extended the first half lead to 28-0 after marching down the field for 88 yards, only taking 2:20 off of the clock. Burrow led the offensive drive, connecting with Stephan Sullivan for catches of 20 and 19 yards. Edwards-Helaire also recorded a rush of 16 yards to put the Tigers on the Rice 12-yard line, setting up Burrow’s 13-yard strike to senior tight end Foster Moreau.

After an Avery Atkins touchback, the Owls took a little more than six minutes off of the clock, driving to the LSU 33. LSU’s lead was cut to 28-3 after Rice kicker Haden Tobola put a 51-yard field goal through the uprights with 1:55 left in the first half.

On LSU’s first drive of the second half, the Tigers moved 90 yards down the field on seven plays. Burrow connected with Moreau for 18-yards to give No. 18 a career-high in both receptions and receiving yards. The highlight of the drive was a 45-yard dime from Burrow to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for 45 yards, just two yards shy of the end zone. The next play, Brossette ran it in for his 12th career touchdown to give the Tigers the 35-3 lead.

Running back Lanard Fournette scored his first touchdown in the Purple and Gold with 11 minutes left in the game. He ran the ball into the end zone for three yards, capping a six-play, 80-yard drive to give LSU the 42-3 lead.

Rice running back Juma Otoviano ran it in for five yards after the Owls converted a fourth down in the red zone to cut LSU’s lead to 42-10 with 2:55 left in the game.