Apparently, new LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is doing something right. Zach Mettenberger’s single-game school record five touchdown passes against UAB attested to that.
Three of Mettenberger’s scoring strikes went to Odell Beckham Jr., who also returned a missed field goal 100 yards for a score, and the ninth-ranked Tigers overwhelmed the Blazers 56-17 on Saturday night.
Mettenberger, who had 12 TD passes in all of 2012, has six through this season’s first two games, and credited both the athleticism of his receivers and the confidence he’s gained from working with Cameron, who returned to college last winter after more than a decade in the NFL.
“He knows the talent we have on this team offensively,” Mettenberger said. “We are going to stick to the passing game. Obviously we showed tonight that if we execute like we did tonight that there is all the reason to have confidence in us.”
In most seasons since Les Miles took over in 2005, LSU has been a power running team with a deep stable of ball carriers. Now it’s Mettenberger building what looks like prolific chemistry with Beckham and Jarvis Landry.
“You get a lot of opportunities in this offensive system,” Beckham said. “Coach Cam has instilled in us a different mentality. … It’s just crazy. I never would expect it to be the way it is and it’s just phenomenal to be a part of.”
The running backs were still involved, of course. Jeremy Hill made his season debut for LSU (2-0), rushing for a 3-yard touchdown on his first carry and wound up rushing six times for 50 yards. “I wanted to get him going,” Miles said.
The Blazers (0-2) came in with a perfect record in Death Valley — a stunning 13-10 last second win in their only other visit in 2000. It wasn’t long before the Tigers put to rest any notion of that happening again.
“They made plays. The loss was tough and it was painful,” UAB linebacker Jake Ganus said.
But the highlight of Beckham’s night may have come when he camped out in the back of the end zone for Ty Long’s 59-yard field goal attempt. He told teammates before the play to be ready to block if he was able to run it out. He caught it deep in the end zone, and by the time the Blazers realized it, Beckham was sprinting down the left sideline with blockers in front of him.
“He has a want to make a big play. It’s a feel,” Miles said. “Guys like Morris Claiborne or guys like Tyrann Mathieu that say we have to make a play — I think he has the same penchant to say ‘hey, I want to make this play.’ “
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