Tigers cruise past Chattanooga

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BATON ROUGE -- The 12th-ranked LSU Football team used a balanced attack to amass 454 yards of total offense in a 45-10 victory over Chattanooga on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

LSU (2-0) had 222 rushing yards and 232 passing yards, as the Tigers won a home opener for the 70th time in Tiger Stadium (since 1925).

Derrius Guice led LSU in rushing with 102 yards on 15 attempts, as the junior running back became the 16th Tiger to surpass 2,000 career yards. Nick Brossette added 63 yards on a career-high 11 carries in relief of Guice, whose night was complete after the first drive of the second half.

Quarterback Danny Etling used five passes of more than 25 yards to finish 8-of-14 passing for 227 yards with a touchdown. DJ Chark, who scored on a 65-yard punt return, caught three passes for 103 yards including receptions of 46 and 48 yards.

Chattanooga (0-2) had 122 of its 242 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter, as the Mocs ended LSU's streak of not allowing a touchdown at 12.

Mocs starting quarterback Nick Tiano was 15-of-32 passing for 174 yards with two interceptions. Joseph Parker was on the receiving end of a 67-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter that setup the Mocs' only touchdown. Darrell Bridges rushed for a touchdown and finished with 88 yards on 15 carries.

LSU, which forced two turnovers on interceptions by Andraez Williams and a one-hander by Kary Vincent Jr., did not committ a turnover for the second-straight game to start the season. The Tigers were plagued by penalties early on, committing 10 of its 11 before halftime.

LSU returns to action on Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. when the Tigers travel to Starkville, Miss. for the Southeastern Conference opener against Mississippi State. The game will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2.