The 12th-ranked LSU Tigers stayed unbeaten on the young 2017 college football season on Saturday night, defeating the Chattanooga Mocs, 42-9, at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

LSU, playing in their home opener, scored 42 unanswered points, from the midway point of the first quarter through the early portion of the fourth quarter, while Derrius Guice rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns, as they cruised to the 35-point triumph.

Chattanooga actually got on the scoreboard first, on the initial possession of the game, when Victor Ulmo made good on a short 22-yard field goal, capping off a 14-play, 65-yard drive, giving them a quick 3-0 lead.

After that however, it was all LSU.

The Tigers grabbed the lead for good at the 6:23 mark of the initial period, when Danny Etling connected with Drake Davis on a 36-yard touchdown pass, completing a 6-play, 72-yard drive, to take a 7-3 advantage.

On LSU's next possession, Derrius Guice scored on a short 1-yard touchdown plunge, ending a 4-play, 57-yard drive, to extend their lead to 14-3 with :11 remaining in the opening frame.

Guice got in the end zone for the second time at the 5:41 mark of the second quarter, this time on 6-yard touchdown run, culminating a 4-play, 38-yard drive, to make it 21-7.

The final points of the first half came at the 3:22 mark of the second quarter, after D.J. Clark returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown, to widen the gap to 28-3, a lead LSU would take with them into the locker room at halftime.

LSU outgained Chattanooga, in terms of total yards, 233-119, in the first half, including a 164-60 advantage in passing yards, as well as a 69-59 edge in rushing yards.

Etling paced the Tigers in the opening half, completing 5-of-9 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown, while Guice carried the football 9 times for 53 yards and two scores.

LSU picked up in the second half, where they left off in the first half, as Darrel Williams scored on a 4-yard touchdown run at the 8:18 mark of the third quarter, capping off a 13-play, 76-yard drive, to give them a commanding 35-3 lead.

Williams got into the end zone once again on the Tigers' very next possession, culminating a 5-play, 69-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, to make it 42-3.

The Mocs scored a touchdown, the first allowed by LSU this season, at the 12:18 mark of the fourth quarter, when Darrel Bridges ended a 6-play, 83-yard drive with a 16-yard scoring run, to trim the deficit to 42-10.

The final points of the game came by way of a Connor Culp 46-yard field goal at the 2:51 mark of the final quarter, to extend LSU's lead to 45-10.

That's how the scoring ended, as the Tigers waltzed to the 35-point victory.

LSU outgained Chattanooga, in terms of total yards, 454-242, including a 232-174 advantage in passing yards, as well as a 215-70 edge in rushing yards.

Etling finished the game completing 8-of-14 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown, while Guice carried the football 15 times for 102 yards and two scores.

In a losing cause for Chattanooga, quarterback Nick Tiano completed 15-of-32 passes for 174 yards, while Bridges rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

With the victory, LSU improved to 2-0, while Chattanooga, an FCS school out of the Southern Conference, fell to 0-2.

The Tigers return to action next Saturday, when they travel to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on the Mississippi St. Bulldogs in their SEC opener.

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