Why firing ed orgeron is a bad idea

Fournette sets LSU record, Tigers top Ole Miss, 38-21

 LSU running back Leonard Fournette broke something all right - and it wasn't the left ankle that had sidelined him for nearly a month.

Fournette rewrote LSU's single-game rushing record on just his first eight carries - scoring three touchdowns of 59 yards or more - and the 25th-ranked Tigers beat No. 23 Mississippi 38-21 on Saturday night.

"I've never been (associated with) a player like Leonard," LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron said. "He's dynamic. I believe he's the best player in the country."

Fournette finished with 284 yards rushing in his first action since aggravating a bone bruise in his ankle on Sept. 24. His touchdowns went for 78, 76 and 59 yards. He averaged 17.8 yards on 16 carries. Fournette broke Alley Broussard's LSU record of 250 yards rushing (on 26 carries) in 2004, also against Ole Miss.

He ran the ball with speed and force, at one point leveling Mississippi defensive back Deontay Anderson while turning a screen pass into a 22-yard gain.

"This has been one of the hardest seasons for me. Especially dealing with this injury. I'm still dealing with it," Fournette said, adding that he heeded a pre-game text message from his mother, Lory, advising him to "keep the faith." "Everybody thinks I'm healthy, but I'm out of shape, too."

The victory puts LSU (5-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) at 3-0 under interim coach Ed Orgeron, who replaced Les Miles four games into the season.

Since Orgeron took over and promoted Steve Ensminger to offensive coordinator, the Tigers have demonstrated a penchant for big plays . They had four TDs of 40 or more yards against the Rebels, includingDanny Etling's 40-yard pass to D.J. Chark.

LSU finished with 515 total yards against Ole Miss (3-4, 1-3), which saw its chances of getting back into the SEC West race take a huge hit.

"We've got to really, really look at ourselves hard - coaches and players - and figure out why we're not putting together complete games," said Rebels coach High Freeze, who served as an assistant under Orgeron at Ole Miss nearly a decade ago. "Youth is no longer an answer in certain places, and neither are injuries. It's time to grow and be able to play a complete game in this difficult conference.

LSU "really dominated this game in the second half," Freeze added. "When things didn't go well for us, we didn't respond."

Fournette's 78-yarder, which gave him 249 yards on his first seven carries, put the Tigers up for good in the third quarter. Derrius Guice iced it with a 6-yard TD.

THE TAKEAWAY

Mississippi: The Rebels' defense is sprinkled with big-play talent, but the unit as a whole doesn't consistently play together and gives up too many big plays and too many points. In all of their losses, they've allowed 34 or more points.

LSU: Fournette certainly made up for lost time. His performance puts him right back in Heisman Trophy consideration. To stay there, he'll have to keep it up against Alabama, which held him to 31 yards on 19 carries last season in Tuscaloosa.

KELLY CONTAINED

Chad Kelly, who came in averaging an SEC-best 308.2 yards passing, was intercepted twice and sacked twice. He finished 19 of 32 for 209 yards and one touchdown, and the Rebels failed to scored 30 points for the first time this season.

COMPETITIVE START

Kelly capped Ole Miss' opening drive with a 15-yard scoring pass to Van Jefferson, and the Rebels briefly led 10-0 before Fournette came rumbling through the right side of LSU's offensive line for his 59-yard score. Fournette's 76-yard run put the Tigers up 21-13, but Marquis Haynes' sack and strip of Etling gave Ole Miss the ball on the LSU nine. Three plays later, the Rebels tied it at 21 when Akeem Judd scored from 2 yards out and Ole Miss added a 2-point conversion on Kelly's keeper.

INJURIES

Haynes, who leads Mississippi with five sacks, left the game in the second half, unable to put weight on his right leg.

BIG-TIME BLOCKING

Orgeron called the play of his offensive line "tremendous." Fournette said his record is an honor he shares with Tigers linemen. Fournette had big holes on all three of his scoring runs. Twice, he cut inside stout blocks on the right edge by Maea Teuhema.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

LSU, which just got back into the AP Top 25 poll last week, should continue to move up. Ole Miss, which was the only three-loss team in the poll, is unlikely to remain ranked.

UP NEXT

Mississippi: The Rebels hosts surging Auburn next Saturday.

LSU: The Tigers get next weekend off before hosting the top-ranked Crimson Tide in what could be a pivotal game in both teams' seasons.

LSU's big plays propel Tigers past Southern Miss, 45-10

LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron chuckled when asked what he told the Tigers at halftime of what was then a 10-all stalemate with heavy underdog Southern Mississippi.

The implication was that it was not entirely fit for public consumption. And Orgeron could laugh about it because the Tigers' dominance from that point forward left the coach with the impression that he'd been well understood.

Derrius Guice broke loose for touchdowns of 61 and 20 yards early in the third quarter, and LSU added a couple more long scoring plays while scoring 35 unanswered second-half points in a 45-10 victory on Saturday night.

"I think our guys woke up a little bit at halftime and just decided to play hard," Orgeron said. "I just challenged them."

LSU had two, long one-play touchdown drives - an 80 yard catch-and-run by D.J. Chark and a 63-yard reception byMalachi Dupre on Danny Etling's long heave.

LSU safety Jamal Adams helped the Tigers pull away when he forced Golden Eagles' running back George Payne's fumble and then recovered it at the USM 26-yard line, setting up Guice's second score.

"We were a little frustrated" at halftime, Adams said. "Just as a leader I wanted to rally the guys back. ... We wanted to come out and give them no more points."

In the span of the third quarter, LSU (4-2) built a 28-point lead.

"The third quarter was just a bad quarter," Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson said. "It was bang, bang, bang and it went from a ball game either way to being down 21 points in what seemed like 3 minutes."

All five of the Tigers' second-half TDs came from beyond 20 yards, with three going for more than 60.

"Here's the deal. We want to take shots. We want to be explosive," Orgeron said, stressing that he wants opposing defenses to pay for selling out to stop the Tigers' deep and powerful running game. "That was, I think, one of the most (significant) improvements in the game."

Etling finished with his best numbers since taking over as starter in the third game of the season, completing 11 of 18 passes for 276 yards and three TDs.

Dupre added another touchdown on a 23-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Chark also scored a 19-yard rushing touchdown on an end-around in the first half.

Ito Smith scored the lone TD for Southern Miss (4-3) on a 1-yard run that gave the Golden Eagles their only lead at 7-0. Golden Eagles QB Nick Mullens completed 25 of 36 passes for 161 yards.

FORMIDABLE FILL-IN

Guice finished with 162 yards on 16 carries in his third start this season in place of Leonard Fournette, who is recovering from a left ankle injury and has not played since LSU's loss at Auburn on Sept. 24.

The 5-foot-11, 212-pound Guice has rushed for 155 yards or more in each of his starts.

Guice gave LSU the lead for good when he bolted through a gaping hole blown open by guard Maea Teuhema, center Andy Dodd and tackle K.J. on the left side of LSU's offensive line and galloped into the clear for a career-long scoring run .

"The linemen did a great job of setting it up for me and the rest is history, because I'm not going to get caught from behind," Guice said.

While Guice's first touchdown demonstrated his break-away speed, his second showcased his elusiveness as he darted forward and then cut suddenly outside to elude would-be tacklers.

Orgeron said he is optimistic Fournette will play next weekend.

MISLEADING STATS

Southern Miss dominated time of possession, 37:59 to 22:01 and ran 73 total plays to LSU's 42. LSU's big plays rendered those statistical advantages insignificant.

DISCIPLINE

LSU cornerback Kevin Toliver was benched the first half for breaking an unspecified team rule, Orgeron said, adding that several other starters' snaps were limited early on because "we just had some other guys that didn't practice the way they should. You've got to practice hard to play."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

LSU, a leading vote-getter among unranked teams in the AP Top 25 Poll this past week, could be ranked again after two straight resounding victories since Orgeron took over in late September.

TAKEAWAYS

Southern Mississippi: The Golden Eagles have play makers and the ability to compete in spurts with Power-5 conference teams, but need help for a beleaguered defense that has now allowed 100 points in its last two games.

LSU: The Tigers have the elite talent to turn it on suddenly and crush an underdog from a mid-major conference - and might be trending in the right direction to make a run in the Southeastern Conference.

UP NEXT

Southern Mississippi: The Golden Eagles are off next week before hosting Marshall on Oct. 29.

LSU: The Tigers host No. 12 Mississippi this coming Saturday night in a pivotal mid-season clash in the SEC West race. It is also the first of five straight SEC games to close the season for LSU.

Guice helps LSU open Orgeron era with 42-7 win over Missouri

 Ed Orgeron held both arms in the air as he emerged from the Tiger Stadium tunnel for his first game as LSU's interim coach. Derrius Guice's long, crowd-thrilling touchdown runs ensured Orgeron would have every reason to leave Death Valley in an even better mood.

In the first game since the firing of coach Les Miles, and with star running back Leonard Fournette sidelined with ankle soreness, Guice rushed for a career-high 163 yards and three touchdowns, leading LSU to a 42-7 victory over Missouri on Saturday night.

Orgeron walked of the field beaming after his players gave him a celebratory drenching with a bucket of sports drink and handed him a game ball.

Guice scored the game's first touchdown on a zig-zagging, 42-yard run in which he left several would-be tacklers grasping at air before using his speed to race away for the final yards. He added TDs from 4 and 37 yards before the first half ended.

Darrel Williams added a career-high 130 yards and three short touchdowns for LSU (3-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference), which finished with 418 yards on the ground.

Missouri (2-3, 0-2) struggled to sustain drives and didn't score until executing a reverse pass from receiverEric Laurent to quarterback Drew Lock with 6:11 left in the game. LSU dominated time of possession, 42:42 to 17:18 and ran 82 plays to Missouri's 60. LSU also finished with 634 yards - the school record for an SEC game- to Missouri's 265.

Getting rid of the ball quickly, Lock limited LSU's formidable pass rush to two sacks. But LSU's secondary didn't give the quarterback many easy throws. Lock, who came in averaging 377 yards passing, finished 17 of 37 for 167 yards and was intercepted once by Tre'Davious White on a long, over-thrown pass.

Miles, arguably the most successful coach in LSU history after winning 77 percent of his games in 11-plus seasons - including the 2007 national championship - was fired last Sunday, the day after an 18-13 loss at Auburn. That game marked the second time this season LSU's offense looked stagnant in a loss to an underdog that was not ranked at the time of the game.

Orgeron promised a different look on offense and delivered early with four wide-receiver sets and enough passes to keep Missouri's defense honest. But statistically, LSU looked a lot like some of Miles' most dominant teams, with more yards and scoring on the ground than through the air.

LSU QB Danny Etling completed 19 of 30 for 216 yards and did not turn the ball over.

THE TAKEAWAY

MISSOURI: Stats can be deceiving. Mizzou's offense, which came into the game leading the SEC, has looked far less prolific against teams from Power 5 conferences than the overmatched Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference and Delaware State of the second-tier Football Championship Subdivision.

LSU: Les Miles may be out as coach but there's no questioning the talent he brought in when LSU gets rolling. And it's clear the Tigers were ready to play under Orgeron. LSU could be a tough out for a number of their remaining opponents.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

After falling out of the AP Poll last week, LSU could very well jump right back into the ranking with its emphatic rebound from its last-second lost at Auburn.

UP NEXT

MISSOURI: After a bye next weekend, Missouri will visit Florida on Oct. 15.

LSU: A clash with historical rival Florida in the Swamp next weekend is on tap for LSU, marking the first road game of the Orgeron era.

Carlson's 6 field goals lift Auburn past No. 18 LSU 18-13

 Daniel Carlson kicked six field goals and Auburn beat No. 18 LSU 18-13 on Saturday night after officials ruled Danny Etling's apparent last-gasp scoring pass came after time expired.

Etling rolled to his right and found D.J. Shark in the back of the end zone on a 15-yard pass, setting off a celebration by LSU players. Officials ruled time expired before Etling took the snap.

"I don't know if I've ever come as close to winning a game and finishing second as today," LSU coach Les Miles said.

The celebration shifted to the Auburn sideline when officials announced the decisive ruling.

It was an important win for Auburn (2-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) and coach Gus Malzahn, who faced increased criticism following losses to Top 25 opponents Clemson and Texas A&M.

An illegal shift penalty against LSU (2-2, 1-1) left the Tigers with a fourth-down play from the 15. There was only 1 second on the clock before officials huddled, and Miles said officials put 3 seconds on the clock, setting up the final-play drama.

Malzahn said he knew the clock expired before the snap.

"I was pretty confident time had expired," Malzahn said. "It was just a matter of going to the booth and confirming it."

Malzahn gave play-calling responsibility to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and also sported a new look, shedding his visor for a white Auburn baseball cap - thanks to fashion advice from his concerned daughters.

"My daughters said something about me wearing a visor and I need to put on a hat because I'm getting bald," he said. "I saw a replay and it looked pretty bad so that's the reason I'm going to wear a hat."

Carlson kicked a 37-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give Auburn a 15-13 lead. He added to the lead with a 29-yarder with less than 3 minutes remaining before LSU began its desperate, final drive.

Carlson is 12 for 12 on field goals this season.

LSU star running back Leonard Fournette had 16 carries for 101 yards.

Auburn linebacker Tre Williams was ejected for targeting in the second quarter.

There was no flag after Williams' helmet-to-helmet hit knocked quarterback Danny Etling out of the game for a play. The hit sent Etling's helmet to the ground and left him with a cut.

A review by the officials determined Williams led with the crown of his helmet on the hit.

THE TAKEAWAY

LSU: The LSU offense must improve if the Tigers are to realize their preseason expectations. LSU was held to 338 yards, including 118 yards passing by Etling.

Auburn: Defense continues to be Auburn's strength, but struggles by the offense drew sporadic boos from impatient fans throughout the game. Improvements will be needed; it will be difficult to pull off more SEC wins without reaching the end zone.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

With the loss to unranked Auburn, LSU could fall out of the Top 25 with its second loss in four games. The Tigers were No. 5 when they lost to Wisconsin in their opener.

UP NEXT

LSU: The Tigers will face another SEC Western Division rival when they play Missouri in a home game next Saturday night. It will be only the second meeting between the teams and the first as SEC rivals. In the only other meeting, Missouri won 20-15 in the 1978 Liberty Bowl.

Auburn: Auburn will take a break from its SEC schedule when it tries for its 10th straight win over Louisiana-Monroe. It will be the last of five straight home games for the Tigers.

Fournette returns, No. 20 LSU defeats Miss St., 23-20

 Leonard Fournette returned from a bruised left ankle in powerful form, rushing for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 20 LSU withstood a late rally for a 23-20 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night.

Danny Etling completed 19 of 30 passes for 215 yards in his first start for LSU (2-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference), including a 37-yard touchdown strike to D.J. Chark. But the Tigers nearly squandered a comfortable lead, giving up two touchdowns 4:10 and 3:30 left, the second after the Bulldogs (1-2, 1-1) recovered an onside kick.

Fournette, who sat out last week's victory over Jacksonville State, exhibited his typical mix of hard-nosed and explosive gains. He ran over tacklers for his 5-yard TD and burst into open field for his 25-yard score. He also had four receptions for 27 yards, but his performance was somewhat tarnished by two fumbles, one of which was recovered by the Bulldogs and one of which resulted in a failed fourth-and-short play in MSU territory in the fourth quarter. And it was that turnover on downs that sparked the Bulldogs' late rally with backup Damian Williams at quarterback.

Williams marched the Bulldogs 66 yards in nine plays, then scored MSU's first TD on a 1-yard run.

Two plays after MSU's onside kick recovery at the LSU 32, Williams hit Fred Ross for a 7-yard touchdown.

The Bulldogs then forced a punt after three plays, but Josh Growden's booming, 61-yard boot pinned MSU at its own 23, and Arden Key's second sack of the game forced a fumble that Davon Godchaux recovered to seal the victory.

Nick Fitzgerald, whose 195 yards on the ground against South Carolina a week earlier set a school record for QB rushing, struggled against LSU. He was held to 13 yards rushing and completed 12 of 24 passes for 120 yards. Williams came on in the fourth quarter to convert a fourth-and-4 play with a 24-yard pass to Donald Gray, setting up MSU's first TD.

While Miles had hinted at the possibility of playing both Etling and season-opening starter Brandon Harris at quarterback, Etling was the starter and played the whole game.

Etling didn't hurt his cause by lofting a perfect pass to Chark in the back of the end zone on LSU's second offensive series.

LSU's Colby Delahoussaye kicked a 35-yard field goal that would have made it 10-0, but the Tigers took the points off the board and continued the drive when Mississippi State's Johnathan Calvin was flagged for roughing the kicker. Fournette then rushed for 8 yards on the next play and powered into the end zone from the 5 on the play after that to make it 14-0.

Fournette raced through a big hole into the open field for his 25-yard TD that made it 20-0, and the Tigers led 23-3 at halftime.

THE TAKEAWAY

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs relatively youthful and inexperienced squad needs a little more maturity to beat the top teams in the SEC.

LSU: Fournette is fine, the Tigers' running game is finding its rhythm and Etling is getting more comfortable leading the offense as LSU begins to build momentum.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

LSU: The Tigers were favored by about two TDs over Mississippi State, so a close victory won't help them climb much higher in the AP Top 25 Poll.

UP NEXT

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs travel up to New England to visit Massachusetts next Saturday.

LSU: The Tigers head to the plains of eastern Alabama next Saturday to visit their namesake SEC West rivals, the Auburn Tigers.

Etling takes over for No. 21 LSU in 34-13 win over JSU

 LSU backup quarterback Danny Etling waved his arms to quiet the Tiger Stadium crowd - and that was before he'd done anything more than complete one first-down pass.

Frustrated fans in Death Valley, who had booed LSU's offense on its first two possessions, were simply ready for a change. Etling gave them a measure of hope and likely secured himself a start when the No. 21 Tigers open Southeastern Conference play next week.

Replacing struggling starter Brandon Harris on LSU's third possession, Etling opened with three straight scoring drives, and the Tigers pulled away for a 34-13 victory over Jacksonville State on Saturday night.

"I just think we have a nice team. I think we have a good team. They will rally around whoever tries to be the next man up. I think they did it for me tonight," Etling said.

Etling completed six of his first eight passes for 100 yards, including a 46-yard scoring strike to tight end DeSean Smith to cap the quarterback's first drive. Etling also had a 2 yard TD run.

LSU coach Les Miles said Etling's night was "not perfect by any means," but also said the transfer from Purdue "absolutely" put himself in the mix to start going forward.

Miles might not have much choice, considering how anemic LSU's offense looks with Harris under center, not just against JSU (1-1), but also in a 16-14 upset against fifth-ranked Wisconsin a week earlier.

LSU (1-1) opened the game with 12 total yards and no first downs on its first two offensive series before Miles made the QB change.

The Tiger Stadium crowd came alive when Etling took the field for the first time. It was a full-on eruption when Etling's long scoring pass hit Smith in stride down the left sideline, giving LSU a 6-3 lead.

"It was a pretty cool feeling. It was pretty nice, especially since we were down at the time," Etling said. "It was nice to put ourselves in a position to succeed."

Etling's performance was not entirely unblemished. All six of his second-half passes were incomplete. He was intercepted by Reggie Hall on a long pass intended for Malachi Dupre in the end zone and later lost a fumble when he was sacked and stripped by Darius Jackson.

DELAY OF GAME

Kickoff was delayed nearly an hour because of lightning in the area.

LEONARD-LESS

Leonard Fournette did not play, getting the night off to rest his left ankle, which took a hard hit at the end of LSU's season opener. Miles has said Fournette is not seriously injured and sounded optimistic that he'd be ready to play next weekend.

Derrius Guice started for Fournette and rushed for 155 yards, including a 4-yard TD and a 44-yard run to set up another LSU score.

SEEING WHITE

Tre'Davious the closed LSU's' 27-point second quarter with a 60-yard punt return on which he retreated 20 yards to his own 20 before finding his way back up field for the score.

"I just had it in my head that either I was going to go for the touchdown or coach Miles was going to be mad at me," said White, who had an interception return for a score a week earlier.

SLIPPERY SIGNAL CALLER

Dual-threat QB Eli Jenkins was once again productive for Jacksonville State, which entered the game ranked fifth nationally among teams in the NCAA's second-tier Football Championship. He passed for 248 yards, including a 76-yard scoring pass to Krenwick Sanders, and rushed for 82 yards.

"It goes back to Eli's experience," JSU coach John Grass said. "He really looks like a four-year starter."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

LSU might move up slightly in the Top25 , but the Tigers are expected to win easily against FCS teams.

THE TAKEAWAY

Jacksonville State: Jenkins has the ability to put up big numbers on any defense, meaning his FCS-level opponents will have their hands full. Jenkins is easily on pace to eclipse the 10,000-yard mark in career total yards by the end of this season. He entered the game already holding the JSU record for total yards with 8,688.

LSU: Barring an injury to Etling, Harris' next snaps might come in mop-up duty. His numbers through his first two starts this season are 13 of 25 (52 percent) for 139 yards, one TD and two interceptions. He completed one of four passes for 8 yards against JSU.

UP NEXT

Jacksonville State: The Gamecocks return home play Coastal Carolina - an opponent in transition to the top tier FBS - on Sept. 17.

LSU: The Tigers open SEC play at home against Mississippi State on Sept. 17.

Wisconsin shocks No. 5 LSU, 16-14

 Rafael Gaglianone booted the 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin's defense backed up their strong-legged kicker with a late-game interception.

Then LSU offensive lineman Josh Boutte delivered a devastating hit.

The Badgers staved off the fifth-ranked Tigers' desperate last-ditch drive for a 16-14 victory Saturday in a game that dealt an early blow to LSU's national title hopes.

LSU's frustration was on full display at the end of the game, when Boutte was ejected for a flagrant foul after the vicious blind-side hit on Wisconsin's D'Cota Dixon. The safety had sealed the win with an interception with 57 seconds left.

"It was honestly unbelievable when I turned around and saw that D'Cota had the ball in his hands," Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Watt said. "A little scuffle broke out from the LSU team. In the end that's the way they play football and we have our ways to play football."

Dixon picked off Brandon Harris at the Wisconsin 25 and slipped to the ground. A nearby official waved both arms above his head as if signaling the play was over, while Dixon ran off with teammates with his right index finger pointed in the air in celebration.

That's when Boutte rushed over and leveled Dixon.

Coach Les Miles said he had to review the film, but that it was out of character for his lineman.

Boutte, Miles said, was "not a malicious guy, and I just can't imagine that he saw him go down and then would've made a tackle."

Either way, the play will likely be reviewed for possible discipline.

Heisman Trophy hopeful Leonard Fournette ran for 138 yards on 23 carries but walked gingerly to the sideline after his final carry, a 15-yard run with less than 2 minutes left.

Miles said Fournette would have returned if LSU was able to get the ball back.

Instead, the Tigers will limp home with their first loss in a season opener in Miles' 12 years as LSU coach. This will surely put Miles back on the hot seat after he was nearly run out of Baton Rouge after a 9-3 season in 2015.

"We knew what was at stake this season. Our goal is to win it all and go undefeated. It's a hurtful feeling," cornerbackTre'Davious White said.

Gaglianone also hit field goals from 30 and 48 yards in the second quarter. The Badgers held LSU to 2 of 10 on third-down conversions.

"Really proud of them. Far from perfect, but they just kept playing and found a way just to make plays," coach Paul Chryst said.

THE TAKEAWAY

LSU: The offense sputtered and quarterback Brandon Harris struggled, going 12 of 21 for 131 yards with two interceptions and a score.

"We didn't move the football like we're capable of," Miles said.

But Miles' move to bring former Wisconsin assistant Dave Aranda aboard in the offseason to coordinate the defense paid off. White returned an interception for a touchdown and recovered a fumble that set up LSU's other score, both in the third quarter.

WISCONSIN: Corey Clement ran for 86 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. The Badgers defense pitched a shutout well into the third quarter, forcing two fumbles and frustrating Harris. But Wisconsin led just 6-0 at halftime after squandering early scoring chances, including a stop on fourth-and-1 from the LSU 23.

Quarterback Bart Houston, making his first career start, was 19 of 31 for 205 yards with two interceptions.

But in the end, the Badgers celebrated at Lambeau Field, home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers.

"When you look at the ranking, OK, they're No. 5. But what are we? And we beat them," Clement said. "It's just one of those things where you think, `We're still not getting respect probably.'"

POLL IMPLICATIONS

LSU: The Tigers will likely nosedive out of the Top 10 when the next poll comes out Tuesday. While playing at Wisconsin-friendly Lambeau Field isn't easy, Harris and the offensive line had spotty season debuts. Still, the loss is early enough that the Tigers could find their way back into the national championship race if things break their way in the tough SEC.

WISCONSIN: Welcome back to the Top 25. The win is a huge confidence-builder for a team with a brutal schedule, with games against Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State all on the slate by Oct. 15.

UP NEXT

LSU: FCS school Jacksonville State visits Tiger Stadium for LSU's home opener on Sept. 10. It's the first meeting between the two teams.

Wisconsin: The Badgers play their first game at Camp Randall Stadium by hosting Akron on Sept. 10.