BYU vs. LSU 2017 final score: Tigers shut out Cougars 27-0

Danny Etling connected on all but three passes, Derrius Guice scampered for 120 yards and two touchdowns, and the LSU defense didn’t allow a single point in the Fighting Tigers’ 27-0 victory Saturday night.

After a scoreless first quarter, LSU dropped 14 points before the first half of play could end. Two touchdowns from Guice, the 2017 AP All-American running back, got LSU on the board in two consecutive possessions.

After carrying their 14-0 lead in the half, they added on to it in the 3rd quarter. A pair of field goals from Jack Gonsoulin pushed the lead up to 20-0. The finishing touches were put on the game’s result in the final quarter of play. A 1-yard run by Darrel Williams increased the lead up to 27-0, and that was how the game would conclude.

The Tiger defense, shorthanded as it was, still found a way to make life miserable for Tanner Mangum. Mangum went just 12-24 for only 102 yards on Saturday night. Mangum couldn’t find the end zone obviously, and he threw a pick to freshman defensive back Greedy Williams.

The BYU run game was efficient, amassing just as many yards on the ground (102) that Mangum threw. But it proved to be all for naught.

WHAT WE LEARNED

MATT CANADA’S OFFENSE IS LOOKIN’ MIGHTY FINE

LSU was effective against the Cougars offensively, and Matt Canada’s offense seems to be paying dividends. Etling, as mentioned, missed just three of his 17 pass attempts to his Tiger receivers. He averaged 10.17 yards per attempt against the Cougar defense, so Canada’s offense certainly didn’t make him gun shy.

Guice and his fellow running backs were rumbling all over the field. They amassed 294 yards on the ground as a team, picking up an average of 5.2 yards on their 57 rushing attempts.

Seems like, if this is what we’re gonna get from LSU, that they may very well be a force in the West this season.

THE SHORTHANDED TIGERS STILL PERFORMED AT A HIGH LEVEL

LSU was without several key players in this game. Due to injuries and suspensions, the Fighting Tigers weren’t fielding their full unit. Despite that, even without the presence of Arden Key, Donnie Alexander, Kevin Toliver and others, they still got the job done. They pitched a shutout, which goes to show you the kind of depth this team has. In a way, we learned that that depth could prove to be an added bonus for this team going forward. They didn’t allow a single point to a team that will probably go on to win seven or eight games this season. That’s pretty darn impressive, given the scope.

IT’S OFF TO TIGER STADIUM NOW

LSU will now move ahead to next week. The Tigers will host the Chattanooga Mocs for their first home game of the season. With a victory under their belt, the Tigers will look to start 2-0 for the 11th time in their last 12 seasons. If they put up the same kind of performance as they did in New Orleans next Saturday in Baton Rouge, they will almost surely be undefeated heading into their SEC opener against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.