LSU beats West Virginia, 47-21

September has been kind to the LSU football team.

With a 47-21 victory over West Virginia on Saturday, the Tigers extended its win streak in September games to 21 victories. The team also earned respect in the polls, gaining 42 first-place votes in the AP poll to jump Oklahoma and gain the No. 1 spot.

The ranking is LSU's first stint at No. 1 since the 2007 season. LSU gained 15 first-place votes in the Coaches Poll to move up a spot to tie Alabama at No. 2.

The Tigers' (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) win over the Mountaineers (3-1, 0-0 Big East) boiled down to momentum.

Athletes have called momentum one of the most unstoppable forces in sports. If a team loses momentum, the game could follow.

Until the 11-minute mark of the third quarter, it seemed momentum was on LSU's side. But the tides turned on the Tigers.

A dropped touchdown pass by junior wide receiver Rueben Randle and a missed field goal by junior kicker Drew Alleman allowed the Mountaineers to capitalize with 14 straight points.

"There were a couple of times I thought we had momentum," said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen. "I thought the pass protection was fantastic and [quarterback] Geno [Smith] had time, and we had some guys get open and make some plays. The offensive game plan was not a problem."

The problem for the Mountaineers came on the kickoff following their second touchdown of the half.

In front of a jam-packed Milan Puskar Stadium bumping with excitement, junior cornerback Morris Claiborne returned the kickoff back 99 yards for a touchdown, marking the longest return for LSU since former wide receiver Eric Martin's 100 yarder against Kentucky in 1981.

"Anytime you can do something like that, it's a momentum changer," Claiborne said. "Especially in a type of game like this, when the game is close, it's big."

LSU dominated the game from that point on. The Tigers tacked on touchdown runs from sophomore running backs Michael Ford and Alfred Blue to extend their lead to 26 points and win the game.

But the victory didn't come without a struggle, as the Tigers surrendered 533 yards of total offense to West Virginia, including 463 yards passing yards.

"We expected a lot of pass, but these were a lot of more quick passes," said sophomore defensive end Sam Montgomery. "We've got a couple things we're going to work on our defense. As a player, when you start to get satisfied, that's a problem. We are not happy, but we will celebrate victory."

The Mountaineer offense wasn't the only one shining Saturday night.

The Tigers racked up 186 yards rushing, and senior quarterback Jarrett Lee threw for 180, including three touchdown passes.

After defeating three ranked opponents on the road in its first four contests, LSU coach Les Miles said his team is beginning to feel comfortable playing big away games.

"By this time, we understand what it means to go on the road," Miles said. "Our guys understand it's going to be close and we understand it's going to be a hostile environment. When the crowd got jacked when we came onto the field, I knew we were going to play. It was like they were having a football party and they invited us."

The win improves Miles' record to 26-13 against ranked opponents and gives LSU a 36-game non-conference winning streak in the regular season — the longest in the country since a 2002 loss to Virginia Tech.

Despite the impressive résumé, Miles silenced the notion that the Tigers are college football's best team.

"I am not in any way saying that we are the nation's best team," Miles said. "I can tell you we've played a good schedule at this point and our guys seem to answer the bell. ... I think if we continue to improve and continue to do the things we're capable of, somewhere down the road, we'll stake a claim on something important."

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Contact Mark Clements at mclements@lsureveille.com