Fournette, LSU too much for USC
Leonard Fournette’s least productive game this season was still good enough to make LSU history. It was also too much for South Carolina, particularly with the seventh-ranked Tigers improving through the air.
Fournette ran 87 yards for a touchdown, Brandon Harris passed for a career-best 228 yards, and LSU defeated South Carolina 45-24 on Saturday in a game moved to Tiger Stadium because of catastrophic flooding in the Gamecocks’ home state.
Fournette finished with a season-low 158 yards on 20 carries in three quarters. The Heisman Trophy candidate is now the fastest to 1,000 yards in a season at LSU, which has played football since 1893.
“It doesn’t really excite me. I’m just doing my job,” Fournette said of his latest milestone.
The purple No. 7 jersey Fournette wore to make history apparently will be used to help at least some of the Gamecocks fans. He said he’d give up the jersey for auction with all proceeds donated to flood victims if permitted. The NCAA said on its verified Twitter account that Fournette would be permitted to offer the jersey for charity.
“I just wanted to help out the families or people out there, that’s all,” said Fournette, a New Orleans native whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina a decade ago.
Saturday, LSU had two 100-yard rushers. Freshman Derrius Guice had 161 yards and a TD. Fellow running back Darrel Williams scored twice as the Tigers (5-0, 3-0 SEC) piled up 396 yards rushing.
For South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, the punishing styles of LSU’s rushers exemplified the differences between the two teams.
“I just get frustrated watching our guys,” he said. “Their guys must have broken eight tackles on their big runs. Our guys go in there and just fall on the ground. Nobody tackles them.”
Perry Orth, starting for injured Lorenzo Nunez (shoulder) passed for 200 yards and two TDs for South Carolina (2-4, 0-4). He was intercepted once.
South Carolina freshman Rashad Fenton returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.
Pharoh Cooper caught seven passes for 105 yards, highlighted by his 43-yard touchdown. Jerell Adams had a 36-yard touchdown catch, but the Gamecocks managed only 74 yards rushing.
That, however, ended inside the lines, where LSU dominated time of possession (39:53 to 20:07) and net yards (624-283).
With the loss, Spurrier fell to 0-4 in the SEC for the first time in his career, which includes 23 seasons at Florida and South Carolina.
Home-like setting for USC
Saturday’s relocated game was like none seen before at LSU; South Carolina was technically the home team in Death Valley.
Attendance at 102,000-seat Tiger Stadium was 42,058.
The LSU band played South Carolina’s alma mater before and after the game. And Tigers fans, who normally boo visiting teams as they enter the stadium, applauded the Gamecocks.
“Everyone in this area kind of understands what we’re going through,” South Carolina quarterback Perry Orth said, referring to devastation in south Louisiana from Hurricane Katrina a decade ago. “It was nice to see the fans cheering us on. At the same time though, it felt like an away game.”
Associated Press
This story was originally published October 10, 2015 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Fournette, LSU too much for USC."