It’s a rare event for me to be able to watch a college football game.
Working in college athletics and also having been a sports reporter since the 1980s, Saturday’s have been filled other sports or watching a live Division III contest over the years.
Watching a battle of two teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll was quite entertaining as No. 6 LSU defeated ninth-ranked Texas 45-38 on Saturday, Sept. 7.
It proved to be a historic night for LSU (2-0) as the Tigers beat a top 10 team on the road for the first time ever.
Both quarterbacks threw for more than 400 yards, while a replay review led to a goal line stand that helped the Tigers.
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was quite impressive as he completed 31-of-39 passes for 471 yards and four scores. The senior had three receivers finish with over 100 yards, which was a first in LSU history.
Justin Jefferson led the way for the Tigers with nine grabs for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase had eight for 147 and Terrace Marshall added six for 123 yards and a score.
The Tigers led 20-7 at halftime with Texas (1-1) leaving two touchdowns off the scoreboard thanks to a dropped pass and the aforementioned replay.
Cade York’s 36-yard field goal gave the Tigers a lead after their first possession.
On its next drive, Texas was able to answer driving down to the LSU two-yard line. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, they were not able to complete the task as Keaontay Ingram dropped a pass in the end zone.
One of the few things that went wrong for Burrow was a interception three plays later that gave Texas the ball at the LSU four-yard line.
After Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger sent the crowd at Darrell Royal Stadium in Austin with a touchdown that would give the Longhorns the lead, it was time for a video replay.
Amazingly, the camera caught Ehlinger’s knee down at the one. Two plays later the defense for the Tigers held off the Longhorns.
Texas did get a touchdown on its next possession when Ehlinger found Brennan Eagles for a 55-yard scoring strike and it was 7-3.
The Texas lead didn’t last. Burrow and Jefferson hooked up for two scores and York added another field goal as the Tigers built their 13-point lead at the intermission.
However by the the end of the third period, the Longhorns had closed the gap to 23-21. The teams would combine for 39 points in the final stanza.
In the fourth, the Longhorns made it 30-28 when Ehlinger and Devin Duvernay combined for a 44-yard pass with 12:09 remaining.
From that point, the Tigers were able to keep their distance from the Longhorns on their way to the victory.
Ehlinger threw four touchdown passes on a night when he was 31-of-47 for 401 yards. He also rushed for 60 yards and a score.
Duvernay had a game-high 12 catches for 154 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
It was a good night to be entertained.
LSU logo courtesy of CollegePressBox.com