LSU vs Sam Houston State final score: Travin Dural shines as Tigers blank Bearkats, 56-0
The clock read 13:32 remaining in the first quarter but after Travin Dural came down with a 94-yard touchdown reception on the first play of the night for the LSU Tigers, the game was effectively over against the No. 13 team from the FCS, Sam Houston State.
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LSU improves to 2-0 on the season after the 56-0 win over the Bearkats from Tiger Stadium.
Jennings connected with Dural for an 80-yard touchdown in the comeback victory in the opener against the Wisconsin Badgers but there was not much of an aerial assault in the Week 1 win.
Prior to Saturday night’s game against the Bearkats, Dural mentioned the blossoming chemistry he and Jennings have and how it could lead to more big plays in the weeks ahead.
"“The coaches are gaining confidence in him and the receivers to where they’re going to expand it and let us run more route combinations,” Dural said. “They’re going to have that confidence in us where they’re going to actually want to take shots and not have to hold it back and only do it when they have to.”"
For LSU it doesn’t get much bigger than this pass that set a new school record for the longest receiving touchdown.
On the following drive Jennings found Dural again for a 28-yard touchdown to give him three on the season and a 13-0 lead. As impressive as his school record 94-yard touchdown reception was, his most impressive catch came on this 18-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
One of the biggest questions heading into this season was how LSU would replace Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry at receiver, after two games, the answer is Dural had three receptions for 140 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.
Dural was not the only one to standout on the evening as true freshman running back Leonard Fournette scored his first collegiate touchdown from four yards out in the second quarter after a quiet debut last week against Wisconsin.
The Heisman pose was ill-advised and a mistake the true freshman in his second career game would like to have back. Fournette finished with 13 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown. He also added two receptions for 32 yards and one kick return for 22 yards.
Fellow freshman running back Darrel Williams led the team with 14 carries and finished second to Fournette with 65 yards and added a one-yard touchdown in the third quarter
Kenny Hilliard finished with 5 yards and a touchdown after leading the team in rushing in Week 1.
Brandon Harris looked much more comfortable tonight and played extensively in the second half for Jennings. Harris had a 46-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter and finished with 62 yards passing on 4-of-5 passing and a touchdown to Malachi Dupre.
Seeing his first action of the season, Dupre recorded his first career reception on a 15-yard strike from Harris on a designed roll out to the right and later on drive dove for an eight-yard touchdown on a fade pattern in the right corner of the end zone.
Defensively, the Tigers weren’t challenged much as they limited a Sam Houston offense that came into the game averaging 613.5 yards per game on the season to only 210 total yards and forced three turnovers.
Center Ethan Pocic (right ankle) and fullback Conner Neighbors (bone bruise) did not play in the second half.