September 14, 2013
LSU 45, Kent State 13
FOURTH QUARTER
We are seeing some very good quarterback play from both teams. Mettenberger has 264 yards on 13-for-18 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Reardon, meanwhile, is at 144 yards on 16-for-21 passing. He has no touchdown passes tonight, but he remains interception-free on his first season. Hopefully that's not a jinx as I'm told that radio voice Ty Linder brought that fact up on WHLO 640 AM at almost the same exact time I typed it.
LSU 38, Kent State 13
10:44 ... Kent State's defense is looking more and more worn out. Some poor tackling on another touchdown drive by LSU that ended with a 12-yard Terrence Magee touchdown run.
The drive covered 60 yards in just five plays.
LSU 45, Kent State 13
5:12 ... Melchiori missed on a 48-yard field goal.
Another decent drive stalled, but not before Reardon added a few more completions and yards. He now stands at 20-for-29 for 190 yards. Still interception free.
THIRD QUARTER
9:30 ... A promising opening drive of the second half for Kent State was spoiled by the second 15-yard chop-block call against the Golden Flashes tonight, and the third flag for a chop block in the game.
Prior to the drive-crushing penalty, the Flashes had marched to the LSU 21-yard line, picking up four first downs behind four Reardon pass completions and a roughing the passer penalty.
7:39 ... Kent State has forced the first punt of the game by LSU. A few nice plays by safety Luke Wollet made it happen – a good close on a screen pass, holding on to Landry for a 1-yard loss, then defending a throw for Dural deep down the field on third down.
It looked like Wollet came up limping a bit after closing on that play to shut down Landry.
3:16 ... Colin Reardon continues to play with poise beyond his years. He is now 16-of-20 for 144 yards after leading the Golden Flashes on another scoring drive ... this one ending in a 36-yard Melchiori field goal.
The scoring drive covered 49 yards in 10 plays.
Since spotting LSU that 21-0 first quarter, the Golden Flashes have outscored the Tigers 13-10.
Too late to take a first-quarter mulligan?
SECOND QUARTER
14:21 ... Heck of a throw and catch from Reardon to Goode for 9 yards on 3rd-and-7. Reardon handled a high snap, managed to get outside the pocket and find Goode, who made a great grab.
Tack on a 14-yard throw to Boyle and KSU is in the red zone, with a first down at the LSU 18.
12:59 ... Kent State marches 75 yards on nine plays, and caps its first scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Reardon.
The freshman quarterback was extremely poised on this long drive.
Trayion Durham made the touchdown possible, recovering a fumble by Chris Humphrey at the LSU 2-yard line after a 16-yard pass over the middle.
LSU 21, Kent State 7
10:03 ... Something of a moral victory for Kent State's defense, holding LSU to a 25-yard Delahoussaye field goal after a long Tigers' drive that included a 51-yard pass from Mettenberger to Connor Neighbors.
The Tigers were set to go on 4th-and-1 from the KSU 2 before a false start forced them to settle for the field goal. None of the LSU players were set as they tried to go quickly. Roosevelt Nix was also quick off of the ball and in the backfield for Kent State when the ball was snapped.
LSU 24, Kent State 7
7:14 ... Anthony Melchiori matches his longest punt of the year – a 63-yard boomer. Tack on an illegal block and the Tiger start their drive at their own 7. An ineligible receiver down the field on 2nd down has backed them to their own 5.
4:14 ... LSU marches 93 yards in just eight plays and extends its lead on a 31-yard pass from Mettenberger to Landry – the second touchdown hookup for that duo today.
Kent State's secondary is having the kind problems you might expect against a team with speed like LSU. Wide receivers are running wide open and Mettenberger is on target with every throw. Even a deep ball earlier in this drive that was batted away by Malcon Pannell was right on the mark before the Kent State defensive back made the nice play.
Total yardage is at 361-to-85 in favor of LSU with Mettemberger 10-for-13 for 232 yards and the two scores to Landry. Hill has 117 rushing yards on 11 carries and two more scores.
For Kent State, Reardon has also been on target. The Kent State quarterback is 7-for-8 for 79 yards.
It looks like Dri Archer's night is over. He hasn't played in the previous two series during this quarter and is not on the field to open this drive.
LSU 31, Kent State 7
0:17 ... The first turnover forced by Kent State this season has helped the Golden Flashes cut three points off of the LSU lead.
Special teams forced this one as LSU's Travin Dural dropped a punt by Melchiori under pressure at his own 22 yard line. Nick Holley of Kent State recovered at the LSU 20.
After three plays for no yards, the Flashes settled for a 37-yard field goal by Melchiori.
LSU 31, Kent State 10
Here are some quick halftime numbers:
LSU has outgained Kent State 359-to-105.
Kent State Colin Reardon completed 8-of-10 in the first half for 84 yards.
HALFTIME
FIRST QUARTER
15:00 ... Kent State won the opening coin flip and has deferred to the second half. LSU will get the football first. Good coverage on the kickoff by the Golden Flashes will force the Tigers to start at their own 14.
14:45 ... And a nice start defensively for the Golden Flashes. Good job by the defensive front allows Nix to chase down Jeremy Hill from behind for a gain of just one yard on first down. Add a 4-yard run on second down, and the Golden Flashes face their first third down of the night ... a big problem in last week's loss to BGSU.
13:24 ... An easy throw and catch for 17 yards from Mettenberger to Odell Beckham for 17 yards, and a potential touchdown-saving tackle by Keenan Stalls in the secondary as Beckham threatened to break free over the middle.
12:19 ... LSU is on the board first as the middle of the Kent State defense is cracked open on a 58-yard Jeremy Hill touchdown run. It took the Tigers just five plays to take a 7-0 lead. Hill carried on three of those plays, totaling 63 yards.
Brings back memories of the old "Grey Ghost" when he played at LSU. Of course, he was a fictional character.
LSU 7, Kent State 0
12:02 ... After missing last week's loss to Bowling Green and seeing limited action after injuring his ankle in the first quarter of the season opener, Dri Archer is on the field for the first play of the game, lining up in the slot. Archer was the intended receiver on 1st-and-5 after LSU jumped offsides on that first play.
After a short 2-yard run by Trayion Durham on 2nd-and-5, Kent State has burned its first time out as the offense broke the huddle on third down. The last thing the Flashes want to do is go quick three-and-out and put its defense right back on the field after a tough opening series. Timeout may be in part to get the offense on the right page, but also to let the defense continue to get a breather prior to this third-and-a-long-three play.
Reardon sacked while rolling to his right. A quick three-and-out.
8:50 ... Nate Terhune had to be helped off the field after what appears to be a lower leg injury. That's a big loss. Terhune is big, strong, and he has really been coming into his own during his junior season, working well with Roosevelt Nix on that defensive front.
Sophomore Chris Fairchild may be pressed into extended action at defensive tackle.
The Tigers, by the way, are knocking at the door again after a 36-yard Mettenberger to Travin Dural pass.
Plays like the injury to Terhune are of course the big scare in a game like this. You want to compete, but you also want to avoid injuries that will impact the rest of your season.
8:16 ... LSU extends its lead to 14-0 on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Mettenberger to Jarvis Landry.
The score came on 3rd-and-20. Third downs conversions continue to plague the Golden Flashes defense.
Kent State actually had decent coverage on the throw for the end zone. Safety Elcee Refuge was right there, as was another Flashes' defender.
LSU 14, Kent State 0
4:52 ... Kent State's offense picked up a first down on drive No. 2 when Colin Reardon took a quarterback draw and raced 15 yards on 2nd-and-14. Unfortunately, a personal foul for a chop block and another third-down sack of Reardon forced a punt from the Kent State 1.
A tough start. Defense having a hard time getting off the field. Offense can't get much of anything going, and already has two penalties for 20 yards against the offensive line in just two drives.
Dri Archer is yet to get his first touch, although he was the intended target of a Reardon throw on the opening drive.
3:14 ... Terhune is now walking with crutches on the Kent State sideline.
2:36 ... Hill adds his second touchdown of the day. He is untouched until he reaches the goal line on a 12-yard run. Hill now has 95 yards on just nine carries in the opening quarter.
Total yards: LSU 175. Kent State -4
LSU 21, Kent State 0
2:28 ... Dri Archer gets his first touch of the game on a 7-yard throw from Reardon on 1st down. The false start by Kent State that followed, however, has the Golden Flashes facing a 2nd-and-8.
0:37 ... Reardon to a wide-open Josh Boyle on a 25-yard lob to the sideline has Kent State in LSU territory for the first time. First down is at the Tigers' 45.
PREGAME
6 p.m. ... We are about an hour away from kickoff and Kent State's specialists have just stepped onto the field to warm up.
LSU traditionally wears white at home. The Tigers only wear their purple tops once each season. That game is tonight, so the Golden Flashes will wear their new white uniforms for the first time this year.
The uniforms have a very simple and clean look. White tops. White pants. No stripes.
Dri Archer is in uniform and we've been told he will try to play. Just how much he will play we will have to wait and see. He is out on the field right now, running around.
Pat McShane is still a gametime decision. Paul Haynes said last night that McShane is expected to play, but again, it's not known yet how many snaps he'll go.
Calvin Tiggle is still out. Most of the rest of the travel squad is set to play, including backup cornerback Kerrick Rhone, who missed last week's game to injury.
It's starting to cool off just a little bit here after hitting the 90's this afternoon.
There's quite a bit of construction going on here at Tiger Stadium. Two giant cranes loom over the south end of the stadium. Within the next few years the upper decks on the east and west sides of the stadium will connect through the south side of the stadium, expanding capacity to right around 100,000.
6:30 p.m. ... I just returned from the field, where I took a few photos of the team warming up.While it has supposedly cooled off to the low 80's, it still feels like it is in the 90's on the field.
Pat McShane is in uniform, but he was participating only partially in the drills. He was off to the side with the second team.
Injury updates for LSU, Tre'Davious White will start at cornerback in place of Jalen Collins. Also, Micah Eugene will start at strong safety in place of Criag Loston.
So, that means the secondary for LSU will be a bit younger. White is a true freshman. Eugene is a sophomore, but he replaces a senior and three-year letter winner in Loston at strong safety.
Based on KSU's play last week and the fact that LSU is big, strong and fast in the front seven, the Golden Flashes will most likely have their best chance to move the ball through the air. That's where KSU is the deepest anyway with Goode, Humphrey, Boyle and now Archer back in the mix at receiver. Hopefully the losses in the secondary will help Kent State make some plays in the passing game.
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