Tiger Snack: LSU Crushes North Texas Mean Green, 41-14

SB Nation’s LSU blog And The Valley Shook called Mettenberger’s performance uneven, and thought there was room for improvement although while pointing out that it was his first start for the Tigers.

It is worth pointing out that LSU’s coaching staff appeared to play things safe with Mettenberger at times. The offense relied upon a series of quick slants and short hitches that didn’t put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. The coaching staff didn’t open things up until North Texas moved to take the short routes away. His touchdown pass was a thing of beauty, but the lack of focus on some of his other throws leaves plenty of room for improvement.

In new quarterback Zach Mettenberger’s debut, he wasn’t spectacular, but was efficient enough, completing 19-of-27 passes for 196 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Where the Tigers dominated, though, was on the ground.

Box Score Hero: Hilliard earns the honor of box score MVP with 148 yards rushing on 14 carries, including a touchdown. His stats were boosted plenty by a 60-yard run late in the second quarter that put LSU within the North Texas 10-yard line, but led to a Mettenberger interception.

A junior, Mettenberger has bounced around quite a bit in his collegiate career. Mettenberger signed originally at Georgia to play under Mark Richt before transferring to Butler Community College after just one year in Athens.

The 21-year-old has showed considerable promise thus far with LSU, showing well in the spring game in which he went 14-of-25 for 270 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Let’s review a couple things, LSU.

This is a major, major no-no. This, however, is a yes:

Hey, LSU frat house banner-makers! No. But but but but no. Just no, and no, and if you care to have it translated, “Neaux.” Thank you, and please enjoy the rest of your day after you feel very bad about making this.

North Texas struggled on both sides of the ball in 2011, finishing 96th in total offense and 97th in total defense. The Tigers lost several quality players off of last season’s stout defense, but they figure to have plenty in reserve to play at a high level in 2012 and give the Mean Green all sorts of trouble in this game. North Texas was shut out, 41-0, by Alabama in 2011, and the oddsmakers are expecting a similar result when the Mean Green visit Baton Rouge on Saturday.

Game time, TV channel: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU