Tigers Use Ground Game to Blow Past The Citadel, 35-10
09/07/02


BATON ROUGE -- Like the weather, it wasn't particularly pretty but it was the first win of the 2002 season. The 23rd-ranked LSU football team scored four rushing touchdowns and ran for nearly 300 yards as the Tigers fought off a season-opening loss to beat Division I-AA opponent The Citadel, 35-10, on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

After the first of four straight games at home, LSU improved to 1-1 on the season, while The Citadel fell to 0-1.

However, three Tigers turnovers and a punt return touchdown called back kept the game from being blown wide open. LSU fumbled on its 48-yard line and The Citadel's 17. LSU also threw an interception from the Bulldogs' 48.

The Tigers worked on the ground to eat up The Citadel, gaining 293 yards on 40 carries, the most rushing yards since racking up 350 against North Texas in 1999.

Three Tigers rushed for at least 80 yards, including Joseph Addai with 88, Domanick Davis with 87 and LaBrandon Toefield with 82. Quarterbacks Matt Mauck (22) and Marcus Randall (14) also got into the mix.

Mauck struggled at times to find open receivers and finished with 90 yards passing on 8-of-18 attempts and an interception. Randall was 2-of-4 for 17 yards.

Michael Clayton was LSU's leading receiver with five catches for 55 yards, while Devery Henderson added three catches for 31 yards.

The Tigers finished with 400 yards of total offense, while holding the Bulldogs to 236.

The Tigers deferred possession until the second half and stopped the Bulldogs in three plays. After a 32-yard punt by The Citadel's Travis Zobel, the Tigers wasted no time going to work offensively.

After beginning the drive at its 49 yard line, LSU went to both the ground and the air to score in 1:27. Davis rushed three times on the drive for 29 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown run off a middle handoff from Mauck. Michael Clayton caught a pair of Mauck passes for 22 yards. LSU led 7-0 with 12:19 to play in the first quarter.

For the second week in a row, the Tigers burned a punt return touchdown by Davis by committing a block in the back. Davis took the ball at the 18 and ran through the middle of the field with only the punter to beat, which he did easily. However, Corey Webster was guilty of the infraction on a Bulldog gunner and the place came back.

Mauck's first incompletion of the game came in the form of an interception by free safety Kevin Corley with just under six minutes to play in the quarter. However, the Bulldogs could not move the ball against the Tigers defense and were forced to punt again.

An 11-yard pass to Clayton in the flat set up a 59-yard touchdown scamper for Toefield. The PAT by John Corbello was successful and the Tigers led 14-0 with 2:43 left in the quarter.

On the ensuing drive, The Citadel entered LSU territory for the first time with 1:15 to play in the quarter. However, it would only last for one play as the Bulldogs were pushed back into their side of the field by a penalty.

Just after the start of the second quarter, LSU took over at its 25-yard line. Davis, Toefield, Mauck and Addai combined for 56 yards on eight carries to give the Tigers a 21-0 lead with just more than 10 minutes to play in the half. Addai's 23 yard carry to the 9-yard line set up Davis' 8-yard rushing touchdown, his second of the game.

With 8:41 to play in the half, Randall took a live snap for the first time since the 2002 Spring Football game when he torn an ACL.

Randall scrambled out of the pocket for a first down toward the middle of the field, but fumbled the ball to the Bulldogs at the 17-yard line.

LSU led The Citadel, 21-0, at the half.

Mauck returned to the field to start the second half for the Tigers, but the Tigers were forced to punt after a pair of passes were mishandled. On Donnie Jones' 48-yard punt, Bradie James hit returner Shawn Grant jarring the ball loose. The fumble was recovered by snapper Wendell York at the 18-yard line.

Four plays later, Mauck scampered into the endzone for a 6-yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead with 12:13 left in the third quarter.

The Citadel got on the board for the first time when Klein hooked up with Ern Mills for 26 yards to the LSU 35-yard line. The 14-play, 81-yard drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Nehemiah Broughton. LSU led 28-7 with 5:30 to play in the quarter.

On the next drive, LSU looked to have a first down near midfield after an 11-yard reception by Clayton, however, the sophomore wide receiver fumbled the ball at the Tiger 48 and The Citadel recovered.

The Bulldogs took advantage of the short field once again, going 28 yards in 12 plays to tack on a field goal and cut the lead to 28-10 with 14:09 to play in the game.

After giving the ball back to the Bulldogs, backup quarterback Joe Call's first pass from scrimmage was intercepted by Damien James and run back 32 yards for a touchdown. James stepped in front of the Bulldog receiver and intercepted the pass, going unchallenged into the endzone. It was the second touchdown of his career and his eighth interception.

LSU led 35-10 with just more than 10 minutes to play in the game.

James had another chance for an interception and touchdown on the next Bulldogs drive, but missed the open chance and re-aggravated a nagging shoulder injury on the play. He would return a few plays later to break up a pass and force The Citadel to punt.

LSU returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 14, when it takes on a hot Miami (Ohio) team in Tiger Stadium at 7 p.m.