ARLINGTON, Texas -- Even without its starting quarterback, No. 4 LSU reaffirmed that it's a powerhouse program that has innate ability to produce on a national stage.
No. 3 Oregon again showed otherwise.
Senior backup quarterback Jarrett Lee of Brenham passed for only 98 yards, but he was error-free as the Tigers rolled past the mistake-prone Ducks, 40-27, before 87,711 Cowboys Stadium fans in the third annual Cowboys Classic on Saturday night.
"He did the things he needed to do to win," LSU coach Les Miles said of Lee, who filled in for Jordan Jefferson, suspended for his alleged involvement in a fight outside a Baton Rouge bar. "And he made some plays that really needed to happen."
Oregon had a 6-3 lead, but the much-anticipated matchup of top-four teams quickly lost its luster as the Ducks lost three fumbles and piled up 95 yards in penalties, which LSU gratefully exploited. The Tigers' scoring drives consisted of 12, 3, 75, 21, 41 and 41 yards.
No one should be surprised, despite the pregame rankings. LSU has won 34 straight non-conference regular-season games dating to 2002 and is 23-0 in such contests under Miles.
For Oregon, it was another disappointing outcome under the national spotlight. The high-octane Ducks have been grounded when it most mattered, losing to Auburn in last season's BCS title game, Ohio State in the January 2010 Rose Bowl and to Boise State in 2009.
"We had been good in camp," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said of his team's ball security problems. "But it was not what it needs to be today. Not against that team. You can't turn the ball over like that."
Oregon's high-profile player suspension proved much more costly than LSU's.
Ducks 2010 consensus All-American Cliff Harris was suspended after police clocked him driving 118 mph this summer.
Ordinarily, Harris would have started at cornerback and returned punts. LSU's first touchdown followed an Oregon fumble on a punt return. Tyrann Mathieu scooped it up and ran it in from 3 yards out.
And Harris' cornerback replacement, freshman Terrance Mitchell, gave up the 10-yard touchdown pass from Lee to Rueben Randle with 44 seconds left in the first half that gave LSU the lead for good, 16-13.
In the third quarter, Mitchell was called for interference, giving LSU a first-and-goal and setting up the touchdown that gave LSU a 30-13 lead.
"Our defense played a spectacular game," Miles said. "They played with an intensity and a speed to the ball. We challenged them."
The result was reminiscent of the last game LSU played, in the same Cowboys Stadium. That was in January, when the Tigers overwhelmed Texas A&M in the AT&T Cotton Bowl, 41-24.
This was only the third time that top-five teams have opened a season on a neutral field. The other two occasions occurred in 1983 and 1984 in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium.
In the '83 game, No. 1 Nebraska overwhelmed No. 4 Penn State, 44-6. The following year, No. 4 Miami defeated No. 1 Auburn, 20-18.
