BATON ROUGE, La. — West Virginia survived the Death Valley, but it was no match for Stevan Ridley.
Needing six points to the tie the game in the fourth quarter, the Mountaineer offense failed to pick up a first down on their final two possessions and allowed the LSU running back to gain 32 yards and run out the game clock, allowing the Tigers to escape with a 20-14 victory in front of 92,575 fans at LSU’s Tiger Stadium Saturday night.
West Virginia kicker Tyler Bitancurt missed two field goals in the game, the last one a 48-yard attempt that he hooked left with 10:41 left, burning a nine-play, 44-yard drive. The Mountaineers wouldn’t get another first down in the contest.
Ridley, meanwhile, finished the game with 116 yards on 20 carries against a WVU defense that entered eighth in the country in rush defense. The junior rushed for runs of 16 and 12 yards to pick up first downs late in the third quarter, allowing LSU kicker Josh Jasper to nail a 23-yard field goal four seconds into the fourth quarter and extend his team’s lead to six points.
Ridley also scored the game’s first touchdown with 27 seconds left in the first quarter. One possession after Bitancurt’s first miss of the game, a 28-yard attempt, fullback Ryan Clarke fumbled at the Mountaineers’ 10-yard line, giving LSU the ball at WVU’s 7-yard line. Four plays later on a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, LSU’s Stevan Ridley scored for a 7-0 Tiger advantage.
LSU’s lead would expand to 17-0 after a Jasper 49-yard field goal three minutes into the second quarter. After a three-and-out, a WVU punt was returned 60 yards for a touchdown by LSU’s Patrick Peterson – his second punt return for a touchdown this season.
The Mountaineers finally got on the board with 48 seconds before the half when WVU quarterback Geno Smith found Stedman Bailey for a five-yard touchdown, cutting the LSU deficit to 17-7.
It wasn’t as if the West Virginia offense wasn’t producing, however. The Mountaineers outgained LSU 118-80 in total yards in the opening half and picked up eight first downs compared to the Tigers’ two first downs, both of which came in the first quarter.
West Virginia safety Eain Smith intercepted a Jordan Jefferson pass on the Tigers’ first possession of the second half and returned it to the LSU 15-yard line before a personal foul penalty moved the Mountaineers back to the LSU 30. After a Tavon Austin 17-yard completion, Smith found Jock Sanders on a screen to record a 13-yard touchdown and bring WVU within a field goal, 17-14.
West Virginia gained only 60 more second-half yards in the second half, compared to LSU’s 150 total yards after the half.
WVU dropped to 3-1 on the season while LSU improved to 4-0, despite committing 12 penalties for 120 yards. It was the Tigers’ 31st consecutive win over a non-conference opponent while LSU improved to 26-1 during Saturday night games in Tiger Stadium under head coach Les Miles.