LSU trips up UNC, 30 -24 in season opener

The Fighting Tigers opened the season with a dramatic nail-biter at the Chik-Fil-A Classic in Atlanta Saturday night.
LSU was up 30 - 10 over the North Carolina Tar Heels with 10 minutes left in the game, and had to hang on to win, 30-24.
The game should have been a blow-out.
Instead, it was almost a blow-up.
If not for the unsteady hands of a UNC tight end. Les Miles could be on a jet somewhere out of town. But the Football Gods are cruel.
No, we'll have to see the full gamut of Miles' coaching style, likely in a game with much more at stake.
UNC was a depleted team at kickoff, thanks to the suspensions of 13 players for various reasons. But does that qualify as a win with an asterik? No, because we all know if LSU had lost this game there would not be an asterik by the loss, just an exclamation point.
UNC fumbled on two of its first three offensive plays, but LSU didn't want anything easy. A 7-0 lead was soon matched at 7-7. But thanks to superb runner Russell Shepard, LSU again put 7 more on the board. In the second quarter is when things got goofy. UNC kicked off to Patrick Peterson and he scored a touchdown. Later, they punted to Peterson and he scored a touchdown. And the route was on. Only problem? It was just half time. LSU 30, UNC 20.
In the third quarter, LSU tried to run the ball and had to endure a wide array of mishaps by "much improved" Jordan Jefferson. In the meanwhile, UNC stopped punting to Peterson and their defense woke up.
In the 4th quarter, T.J. Yates flung a 97 yard pass to Jheranie Boyd, the longest play in Carolina history.
The awesomeness of it all woke up the Tar Heels offensive because on the very next possession, Yates threw a 14-yard touchdown.
And that great special teams advantage LSU had?
UNC went for and got an onside kick.
But it would take one more indignity -- a fumble (a second) by LSU's running back Ridley -- before LSU could escape out of town.
Overall, it was a very uneven performance and Miles is fortunate to such a "sloppy" game, as he called it.


Box score