[Tuck4Bama]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Matt Flynn pulled himself up from under a pile of Tulane defenders, and LSU's normally potent offense walked to the sidelines, dejected, after giving up a safety.

The second-ranked Tigers, favored by almost six touchdowns, had gone backward for much of the first half.

"We saw the offense put their heads down," LSU defensive end Kirston Pittman said. "But we went over and told them, 'Pick y'all's head up. It's going to be a long game. They have to play for 60 minutes. We just have to overcome a little adversity.'"

A good 30 minutes turned out to be more than enough for LSU to crush Tulane's early notions of an upset.

Jacob Hester's second touchdown of the game and Charles Scott's pair of scoring runs helped LSU (5-0) amass 24 unanswered second-half points in a 34-9 victory Saturday.

"It was a mental thing today," Scott said. "We were not focused at all in the first half. And we can't come out and do that with anybody, especially not Florida."

The defending national champion Gators, ranked fourth heading into their game against Auburn Saturday night, come to Baton Rouge next weekend for a contest likely holding national championship implications.

So if the Tigers overlooked Tulane (1-3), it would be understandable. Forgivable, perhaps, since they pulled away with ease when it mattered.

No. 2 LSU runs away from Tulane in the second half, 34-9 - SportsFlash - NOLA.com