The Hokies and their fans received an unusually cordial welcome to Tiger Stadium after a week in which Miles and LSU team captains published a letter asking fans to be mindful of the shootings at Virginia Tech’s campus last April. The venomous chants of “Tiger Bait!” that normally greet visiting team buses outside the stadium were all but muted while many fans clapped respectfully instead.

Shortly before kickoff, the record crowd of 92,739 stood in applause as public address announcer Dan Borne asked them to “celebrate the resiliency and pride of the Virginia Tech community.”

Then a trio of sky divers landed on the field, one flying a banner of Virginia Tech orange and maroon with a red ribbon in the center.

Then, for the first time in the 114 years of football at LSU, the Tiger marching band played the visiting team’s alma mater before the national anthem.

The Southern hospitality ended there.

LSU bolted to a 14-0 lead in the first nine minutes on methodical drives of 87 and 86 yards. Hester and Flynn capped the Tigers’ first two possessions with short rushing touchdowns, while LSU’s defense did not allow a first down in the first quarter.

Blitzing safety Curtis Taylor set the tone when he put Glennon flat on his back three plays into Tech’s first drive.

Williams showed off LSU’s breakaway speed on offense, taking an option flip from Flynn and hurdling a tackler before accelerating down the sidelines, then cutting across the field, for his long touchdown.

Glennon lasted one more unproductive drive before Beamer replaced him with more mobile Taylor with about six minutes remaining in the first half.

College football Two-man race with Tebow, McFadden

“We felt like we needed some change, and Tyrod can run away from some of those guys,” Beamer said. “I think we have the makings of a good football team. But we have a lot of work to do to get there, and that’s the bottom line.”

The only question for the Tigers is how much they close the gap in the polls between themselves and top-ranked Southern California, which was off this weekend.

Not that Tigers players will admit to dwelling on that yet.

“We don’t worry about the rankings or anything like that,” Curtis Taylor said. “USC — that’s future stuff.”