Good results for LSU in neutral site games
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For the seventh time in the past nine years, LSU will begin its football season with a neutral site game Sunday night.
The Tigers will be facing Miami, a top-ten team, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Tex.). LSU has won its two previous season-opening games at the home of the Dallas Cowboys – defeating Oregon 40-27 in 2011 and TCU 37-27 in 2013.
The Tigers have a 5-1 record in these contests with the one loss coming against Wisconsin in Green Bay – not a true neutral-site game. Three games later, LSU lost at Auburn and coach Les Miles was fired.
The Tigers’ other three neutral-site game victories came against North Carolina at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in 2010, against Wisconsin at NRG Stadium in Houston in 2014 and against BYU at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans in 2017. That game was moved from Houston due to Hurricane Harvey.
“This will be the first time I will be playing in Dallas,” senior safety John Battle said. “It is somewhere I always have wanted to play – Jerry’s World. I am looking forward to it.”
Playing in a NFL stadium is always something which has appealed to the players. The LSU administration likes these neutral-site games because the money guarantee is about the same as the revenue for a home game.
However, with actual attendance dipping throughout college football, there has been a clamoring by fans to have more attractive home non-conference games. LSU has no neutral-site games on future schedules although officials are in discussions for games with Florida State in Orlando and New Orleans.
The Tigers do have five non-conference home-and-home series against power league teams scheduled over the next 12 years – Texas in 2019-20, UCLA in 2021 and 2024, Clemson is 2025-26, Oklahoma in 2027-28 and Arizona State in 2029-30.
Here is a breakdown of LSU’s previous season-opening, neutral site games.
1. September 4, 2010: LSU 30, North Carolina 24
Site: Georgia Dome, Atlanta (Ga.)
Paid attendance: 68,919
Recap: LSU needed a goal line stand in the final seconds to come away with the victory. The Tigers built a 30-10 halftime lead against a North Carolina team, which was missing numerous starters because of suspension. Jordan Jefferson threw touchdown passes of six yards to Russell Shepard and 51 yards to Rueben Randle. Shepard also had a 50-yard scoring run and Patrick Peterson returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown. The Tar Heels scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to reduce their deficit to six points. North Carolina threw incompletions from LSU’s 6 on the last two plays of the game. Stefoin Francois broke up the pass on the final play.
Statistical leaders
Stevan Ridley: 19 carries, 81 yards
Jordan Jefferson: 21 attempts, 15 completions, 151 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
Rueben Randle: 4 catches, 71 yards, 1 touchdown
Kelvin Sheppard: 10 tackles
Tyrann Mathieu: 9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
2. September 3, 2011: LSU 40, Oregon 27
Site: AT& T Stadium, Arlington (Tex.)
Paid attendance: 87,111
Recap: Fourth-ranked LSU took control against third-ranked Oregon in the third quarter. The Tigers took the lead for good at 16-13 on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Lee to Rueben Randle in the last minute of the first half. Fumble recoveries by Eric Reid and Ron Brooks set up two touchdown runs by Spencer Ware in the third quarter. Those two touchdowns put LSU comfortably ahead at 30-13.
Statistical leaders
Spencer Ware: 26 carries, 99 yards, 1 touchdown
Michael Ford: 14 carries, 96 yards, 2 touchdowns
Jarrett Lee: 22 attempts, 10 completions, 98 yards, 1 touchdown
Deangelo Peterson: 4 catches, 62 yards
Tyrann Mathieu: 10 tackles, 2 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Tharold Simon: 8 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups
3. August 31, 2013: LSU 37, TCU 27
Site: AT&T Stadium, Arlington (Tex.)
Paid attendance: 80,320
Recap: Leading 13-10, LSU extended its advantage to 13 points on a 23-yard field goal by Colby Delahoussaye on the last play of the first half and a 52-yard scoring run by Terrence Magee on the first series of the third quarter. However, TCU rallied and pulled within three points at 30-27 in the fourth quarter. A 75-yard kickoff return by Odell Beckham set up the game-clinching touchdown – a 20-yard pass from Zach Mettenberger to Jarvis Landry.
Statistical leaders
Terrence Magee: 13 carries, 95 yards, 2 touchdowns
Alfred Blue: 19 carries, 89 yards
Zach Mettenberger: 32 attempts, 16 completions, 251 yards, 1 touchdown
Jarvis Landry: 8 catches, 109 yards, 1 touchdown
Odell Beckham: 5 catches, 118 yards
Jalen Mills: 5 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass breakup
4. August 30, 2014: LSU 28, Wisconsin 24
Site: NRG Stadium, Houston (Tex.)
Paid attendance: 71,599
Recap: LSU rallied from a 17-point third-quarter deficit to defeat Wisconsin. Two field goals by Colby Delahoussaye put the Tigers behind 24-13. Anthony Jennings hooked up with John Diarse on a 36-yard scoring pass. A two-point conversion on a pass from Jennings to Trey Quinn reduced the Badgers’ advantage to three points at 24-21 three minutes into the fourth quarter. LSU completed its comeback on a 28-yard touchdown run by Kenny Hilliard just under the ten-minute mark.
Statistical leaders
Kenny Hilliard: 18 carries, 110 yards, 1 touchdown
Anthony Jennings: 21 attempts, 9 completions, 239 yards, 2 touchdowns
Travin Dural: 3 catches, 151 yards, 1 touchdown
Kwon Alexander: 8 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss, 1 quarterback-hurry
5. September 3, 2016: Wisconsin 16, LSU 14
Site: Lambeau Field, Green Bay (Wis.)
Paid attendance: 77,823
Recap: Wisconsin returned the favor by rallying in the fourth quarter for a victory against LSU. The Badgers scored the winning points on a 47-yard field goal with less than four minutes to play. The Tigers then drove into Wisconsin territory, but Brandon Harris threw an interception at the Badgers’ 25 with 2:50 remaining in the game. LSU erased a 13-0 third-quarter deficit on a 21-yard pass interception return for a touchdown by Tre’Davious White and a 10-yard scoring pass from Harris to Travin Dural.
Statistical leaders
Leonard Fournette: 23 carries, 138 yards
Brandon Harris: 21 attempts, 12 completions, 131 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
Travin Dural: 5 catches, 50 yards, 1 touchdown
Davon Godchaux: 9 tackles
Arden Key: 6 tackles, 2 sacks
6. September 2, 2017: LSU 27, BYU 0
Site: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans (La.)
Paid attendance: 53,826
Recap: LSU had no problems as it held BYU to just 97 yards of offense. After not scoring in the first quarter, the Tigers went on top on two Derrius Guice touchdown runs in the second quarter. The Cougars never threatened against the LSU defense.
Statistical leaders
Derrius Guice: 27 carries, 122 yards, 2 touchdowns
Darrel Williams: 15 carries, 92 yards, 1 touchdown
Danny Etling: 17 attempts, 14 completions, 171 yards
DJ Chark: 4 catches, 77 yards
Devin White: 5 tackles
Corey Thompson: 3 tackles, 2 sacks
