Kent State fell behind 21-0 after one quarter in Baton Rouge, but, despite constant problems on defense, the deficit did not grow in the second quarter. Each team put up 10 points in the second frame, and LSU leads 31-10 at the mid-game break.
The Golden Flashes' defense has not been able to slow down the Tigers at all. LSU rolled to 359 yards in the first half, and Zach Mettenberger accounted for 232 yards in the air on just 10 completions. Jarvis Landry caught three of those balls for 67 yards, and two of the catches went for touchdowns. Odell Beckham has 71 yards on four catches, while Connor Neighbors and Travin Dural have 52- and 36-yard catches, respectively. Jeremy Hill has LSU's other two scores as he accumulated 117 yards on 11 carries. His 58-yard rumble three minutes into the game opened scoring.
KSU has just 105 yards of total offense and has only one drive of more than 20 yards. That one drive went 75 yards and resulted in the Flashes' only touchdown of the half, when Colin Reardon ran around the right corner and scored from two yards out. Reardon is 8/10 with 84 yards passing, but he has been completely ineffective on the ground with six carries for a total loss of one yard. Trayion Durham has just 20 yards on 10 carries.
Dri Archer has just one touch, a seven-yard catch in the first quarter. He did not play in the second quarter and may have aggravated his previous injury. Given LSU's lead, it's unlikely that he will play in the second half.
LSU could actually have a bigger lead, but they muffed a Kent State punt late in the first half. KSU recovered at the LSU 20, and Anthony Melchiori converted the turnover into a field goal and the current 31-10 deficit.