LSU ranks No. 1 in BCS after 38-7 victory against Tennessee

LSU football games have started to follow a certain script.

The defense creates turnovers and minimizes the production of opposing offenses. The offense protects the ball and pounds away with a dominant running game.

So far the formula has worked. With the Tigers' 38-7 victory against Tennessee (3-3, 0-3) on Saturday, LSU (7-0, 4-0) has won every game this season by double digits, tying a school record for eight consecutive double-digit wins dating back to the Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M in January.

The Tigers have won each game by at least 13 points, which contributed to LSU's No. 1 ranking in the season's first BCS poll.

"At the end of the day, that makes a difference," said junior wide receiver Russell Shepard. "The BCS system is a little different. It depends on how bad you beat teams sometimes. When you can put as many points on the board as you can, that's very important."

Though the computers and voters in the BCS may notice the large margins of LSU victories, sophomore safety Eric Reid said the players pay no attention to the size of their lead.

"We just keep doing what the coaches ask us to do no matter what the score is," Reid said. "We come out in the second half like the score's 0-0. We don't stop. We don't let up. We just want to get the victory."

LSU coach Les Miles admitted his team has room to improve, and that offensive imperfection showed in the first half. LSU totaled only 64 rushing yards, its lowest first-half total of the season.

"We were kind of slow," said sophomore running back Spencer Ware, who led the team with 80 rushing yards. "They changed up some looks that we haven't seen offensively. But the defense came up and made some big plays and we capitalized on those turnovers."

LSU benefited from two interceptions in the first half, including one by junior cornerback Morris Claiborne that he returned 89 yards to the Tennessee five yard line. Field positions proved critical throughout the first half as both of LSU's touchdown drives started on Tennessee's side of the field.

That wasn't the case in the second half as LSU strung together three long touchdown drives of 66, 99 and 65 yards, respectively. The Tigers only attempted five passes in the half, totaled 196 yards on the ground and held the ball for nearly 22 minutes.

Senior offensive lineman T-Bob Hebert, who started at center in place of an injured P.J. Lonergan, said the 99-yard touchdown drive proved the dominance of LSU's rushing attack.

"Those don't happen very often," Hebert said. "That was pretty wild, but it was a lot of fun. There's nothing better than playing with these teammates and scoring with them."

Senior quarterback Jarrett Lee, who threw for 138 yards and three touchdowns, credited the offensive line, which has struggled with injuries throughout the season, for the second-half success.

"Down there in the trenches, it's a tough deal," Lee said. "They did a great job. One of the reasons we were so successful in that second half and put points on the board was because of the offensive line. They kept grinding."

LSU continued to experiment with the two-quarterback system against Tennessee, with senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson seeing his most significant playing time since his reinstatement Sept. 28. Jefferson only attempted three passes, completing one for eight yards, but ran the ball 14 times for 73 yards and a three-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

"We have faith in both [Jefferson and Lee]," Ware said. "They've both been in the system for a long time. We're just going to play hard with whoever's in there."

Miles said even with the team's decisive victory and lofty ranking, the Tigers haven't fallen victim to mid-season complacency.

"If that's the case, it doesn't seem to be what I'm hearing," Miles said. "This team wants to be a champion."

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Contact Hunter Paniagua at hpaniagua@lsureveille.com