After a 45-0 victory over Mississippi State in their season opener, the LSU Tigers were a lot more focused on the future than the final score.

The margin of victory looked impressive, as did the seven turnovers forced by the Tigers, but it's only one game for a team ranked second in the nation with a long-term view of contending for a national championship.

"We didn't play as well as we'd like in certain phases and certain times," LSU coach Les Miles said. "Certainly we're going to have to get better. We understand that."

LSU opponents, particularly Mississippi State, understand several things about the Tigers. Some of those things are:

--The Tigers can play defense: Mississippi State quarterback Michael Henig forced too many passes but the Tigers were there to make him pay, intercepting six passes. LSU also held the Bulldogs to 10 rushing yards, 146 total yards and nine first downs.

--The Tigers have depth. It showed in the second half when they turned a 17-0 halftime lead into a total blowout.

--The Tigers can run by committee. Versatile senior fullback Jacob Hester started at tailback and led the Tigers with 68 yards on 14 carries. In all, five running backs and receivers carried 36 times for 144 yards.

--The Tigers can replace stars: LSU lost two four-year starters at safety, including NFL first-round draft choice LaRon Landry, but the new starter at strong safety, Craig Steltz, intercepted three passes in the opener. Landry's replacement at free safety, Curtis Taylor, intercepted another.

--The Tigers have playmakers: LSU lost two first-round receivers, Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis, but the new go-to receiver, Early Doucet, opened the season with nine receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown.

--The Tigers might just be OK at quarterback: LSU also lost the top pick in the draft, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, but senior Matt Flynn played an efficient, effective game in his first start since the 2005 Peach Bowl.

"Matt managed the game well, handled adverse situations well, moved down the pocket and made plays," Miles said, "and yet there's still room for improvement. He threw the ball away, I think he handled the ball well, and I think Matt would look forward to playing better."

That can be said of the entire team. The good news for the Tigers is that their Thursday night opener gives them two extra days to prepare for Saturday's home opener against a ninth-ranked Virginia Tech that struggled to beat East Carolina 17-7 at home on Saturday.

"They're a very good football team," Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom said of the Tigers, "but it doesn't really matter how good they are right now. What counts is where they are at the end."

GAME BALL GOES TO: SS Craig Steltz -- Steltz has been regarded as a starter the past two seasons because of his regular role in the LSU secondary. Now he's an official full-time starter off to a good start in his senior season after making a single-game school record three interceptions against Mississippi State.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Matt Flynn -- Flynn made his first start since the 2005 Peach Bowl and completed 12 of 19 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. It won't make anyone forget about JaMarcus Russell, last year's starter and the top pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, but it was an efficient performance with no turnovers and 42 rushing yards on 11 carries.

"Matt Flynn, in his first start, managed the game really well," LSU coach Les Miles said. "He put us in good plays. He moved well with his feet. Certainly he was key to our effort. I can think of only one pass that I wish he had back. He almost threw an interception in the flat, but that was it."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "A defense that is, from start to finish, a dominant group, giving us a short field, getting the ball back for us, an offense that does not turn the ball over, an offense that moves the football well, and a kicking team that really allowed no big plays, and a punter that really had a great night." -- Coach Les Miles on the Tigers' 45-0 win at Mississippi State in the season opener for both teams.

LOOKING GOOD: WR Early Doucet -- LSU expects him to step up as a leader and playmaker this season, and he came through in the opener with nine receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. "I think it's just a start for Early," LSU coach Les Miles said. "He can do a lot more."

WR Brandon LaFell -- He caught one pass for 15 yards but it was his devastating block on Mississippi State DB Zach Smith that made all the highlights. More importantly, he showed his willingness to block downfield.

LSU's six interceptions were four short of the team's total for the entire 2005 season.

STILL NEEDS WORK: In their first game under new offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, the Tigers struggled to move the ball effectively throughout the first half. It took the defense and its interceptions to spark the offense.

The Tigers committed eight penalties for 60 yards, with six penalties and 40 yards coming in the first half alone.

The offensive line got off to a slow start with three false starts and two holding penalties in the first half.

ROSTER REPORT:

Senior OG Will Arnold might be a preseason All-American but he also suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the fifth game of 2006 and didn't start the opener as he works his way back into the lineup. He took a big step in that direction against Mississippi State, when he replaced starter Herman Johnson during LSU's third offensive series. That allowed Johnson to move to right guard, a move that could be permanent if Arnold stays healthy. At the same time, Miles also had praise for first-year starting right guard Lyle Hitt so LSU might he better off with a three-man rotation at guard. "Will played well," coach Les Miles said, "but we probably were a little unfair to Herman to move him. He made a couple of little, awkward mistakes that, if he hadn't moved, if he'd stayed at left guard, he would have never made."

LSU has young running backs with more speed and raw talent but versatile senior Jacob Hester got the start in the opener and led the Tigers with 68 yards on 14 carries. "Especially when you go into an opponent's stadium and you're opening on the road and it's a quality opponent," Miles said, "you look at a guy like Hester and you go, 'That's who I want holding the ball.' You just know that he's going to have ball security. You just know he's going to make the right cuts. You just know he's not going to make any mistakes. He's not going to mishandle the ball. Everything's going to go the way it's supposed to."

Reserve Derrick Odom remains suspended following his arrest in connection with an off-the-field incident in late July. "I would anticipate he'd rejoin the team," Miles said. "I think it's safe to say that."

Embattled backup QB Ryan Perrilloux, who was suspended during the summer after being arrested for attempting to enter a casino with a fake ID, got a chance to play and completed two of three passes for 21 yards with a 15-yard touchdown to Brandon LaFell. Last year as a third-team quarterback, he completed one of four passes for 10 yards.

LSU played six true freshmen: WR Terrance Toliver, OTs Joseph Barksdale and Jarvis Jones, S Chad Jones and Ks Josh Jasper and Andrew Crutchfield. "The youth of the program is emerging through the seams, if you will," Miles said, "and it has to this year for us. For us to be the team we want to be, the team that we all want us to be, we have to improve.

"One of the ways that we improve is our young guys will step forward."

New P Patrick Fisher averaged 44.9 yards on seven punts, with one for 56 yards and two inside the 20-yard line.

Obviously the depth chart doesn't mean much at LSU. Fifth-year senior Kirston Pittman started at right defensive end even though sophomore Rahim Alem was listed as the starter on the depth chart released earlier in the week. The two have competed for the job throughout the spring and preseason. At right defensive tackle Charles Alexander started, even though Marlon Favorite was listed as No. 1 on the weekly depth chart. At tight end, Keith Zinger started after Richard Dickson entered the week as the starter.