Kevin Faulk scored a 3-yard touchdown, Wade Richey kicked a 22-yard field goal and LSU's defense barely made it hold up for a 10-7 victory over Clemson in the Peach Bowl on Saturday night.
No. 17 LSU (10-2) won its second straight bowl in as many seasons under coach Gerry DiNardo and kept up the recent Peach streak of down-to-the-wire finishes.Clemson (7-5) drove to LSU's 30 with 1:26 to go, but Matt Padgett's 52-yard field goal try was blocked by Anthony McFarland. Padgett missed a 37-yard field goal on the last play of Clemson's 34-31 loss to South Carolina on Nov. 23.
Raymond Priester ran for 151 yards and became Clemson's career rushing leader. But the Tigers couldn't get inside the LSU 30 after the opening period.
Faulk, the Southeastern Conference rushing leader, struggled throughout with 64 yards on 23 carries, but he powered over the line from 3 yards out to cap an 80-yard drive in the second quarter.
Quarterback Herb Tyler was stopped a foot short of the end zone on LSU's next drive and the Tigers left with Richey's kick and a 10-7 lead.
Despite Priester's running, Clemson couldn't get going. A holding penalty knocked them back on one drive, while false start and delay of game calls disrupted another series.
Clemson moved from its 10 to midfield, but McFarland sacked Nealon Greene and Cedric Donaldson stopped Priester for a loss.
LSU became just the fifth team in school history to win 10 games and the first since 1987's club went 10-1-1. It's also the first time since the 1968 Peach Bowl, a 31-27 win over Florida State, that LSU won consecutive bowl games.
Neither star runner was a factor in the first half, when mistakes more than standout play led to scoring. Faulk was bottled up most of the half, held to no gain or a loss on five of his 12 carries.
Priester set Clemson's career rushing record on a 13-yard gain in the second quarter, surpassing Kenny Flowers' 2,914 yards. But on his next carry, he fumbled for the first time this season.
Clemson's score came after Trevor Pryce sacked Tyler and linebacker Harold Means picked it up at LSU's 10. Three plays later, Greene rolled left, then cut back right for a 5-yard TD.