LSU-Virginia Tech: Tigers Make Case for #1 with 48-7 Win

If you were to drive through the streets of Baton Rouge on Saturday, you wouldn't have had much company.

Most of the city was either tuned in to ESPN or packed into a 93,000-seat stadium to watch their hometown football team.

In other words, Death Valley was at its loudest.

And Virginia Tech wasn't prepared for the noise level.

VT's Lane Stadium has roughly a third of the capacity of Death Valley, and has never eclipsed the 65,200 attendance mark.

VT Quarterback Sean Glennon was obviously rattled. He only completed two of 10 passes and threw an interception to Craig Steltz, who leads the nation in picks.
 
Tech coach Frank Beamer decided to change things up in the second quarter, pulling Glennon in favor of the more mobile Tyrod Taylor. Taylor was 7-18 for 62 yards. He ran for the only Hokie touchdown, which had to be reviewed.
 
"He definitely did not cross the goal line," said Tiger LB Ali Highsmith.
 
The Tigers hit the ground running with two TD drives to open the game. One culminated on a run by Jacob Hester, the other with a Matt Flynn score.
 
Flynn was 17-27 for 217 yards in his first start at Tiger Stadium.
 
The Hokies didn't get a first down until the second quarter, and the Tigers were up 24-0 at halftime after Keiland Williams hurdled a blocker and went sideline-to-sideline for a 67-yard TD.
 
VT showed its first signs of life in the third quarter, as Taylor punched in his disputed score from the one-yard line.
 
Taylor had 9 carries for 44 yards on the day. Brandon Ore had 14 carries but only managed 28 yards.
 
Tiger backup QB Ryan Perriloux quickly got those points back by faking an option, stepping back, and hitting Early Doucet for a 34-yard TD pass.
 
Perriloux will more than likely be the Tigers' starter for the next two years after Flynn graduates.
 
The fourth quarter was all LSU, with the Tigers scoring on 32-yard run from Williams and a 28-yard reception by true freshman Terrance Toliver.
 
With the win and USC's bye week, LSU stole 19 1st place votes from the Trojans in the AP poll. They now have 25—only 15 fewer than USC's 40.
 
No voters chose a team other than LSU or USC.