Johnson, who finished 18 of 27 for 161 yards, got things started for LSU. He hit Trey Palmer on a 19-yard strike 7 minutes into the game for a 7-0 lead.
The play came on a fourth-and-2. It was the second time on the drive the Tigers converted on a fourth down.
The score stayed close until midway through the second quarter when McNeese’s Stephon Huderson fumbled and LSU recovered at the McNeese
32. Jaquelin Roy picked up the loose ball, and three plays later Johnson found Boutte alone in the back of the end zone from 3 yards out for a 14-0 lead.
York’s first bomb of the night from 55 yards made it 17-0 at the half.
“That was a big difference in the game,” Wilson said of the game’s lone turnover. “They took advantage of it and that is what good football teams do.”
The Cowboys could not get anything started on offense as LSU sacked Cody Orgeron eight times for 64 yards in losses. McNeese managed 142 yards in total offense.
“We could not get in any rhythm,” Cody Orgeron said. “They were just bigger, faster, stronger.”
Cody Orgeron did get the last word in against his father when he threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Carlo Williams with just over 4 minutes remaining to break the LSU shutout. Orgeron finished 10 of 20 for 91 yards and was harassed all night by the Tigers.
“No way we could get shut out,” Orgeron said. “That is a moment I will never forget, throwing a touchdown pass in Tiger Stadium.”
McNeese’s defense played well, allowing 166 yards in the first half and 201 in the first 41 minutes before wearing down. The Tigers finished with 312 yards of total offense as McNeese sacked LSU quarterbacks three times.
“We played better and more aggressive this week,” said Cowboys defensive tackle Joey Mc-Neely. “I don’t think we did that last week. I think we are the best defensive line in the country and we wanted to come our here and show it.”
McNeese’s best drive of the first three quarters came right after the half. After stopping LSU on three plays, the Cowboys moved the ball to the Tigers 31. However, back-to-back sacks made it fourth-and-24 from the 47 and McNeese was a forced to punt.
Huderson led the Cowboys in rushing with 67 yards on 16 carries, but when you take into account the sacks McNeese managed just 51 yards on the ground. The Cowboys averaged 1.33 yards a carry.
Corey Kinner led LSU with 56 yards on 11 carries including a 23-yard TD run to finish the Tigers’ scoring in the fourth quarter.
