BATON ROUGE, La. - Seventh-ranked LSU played the part of gracious hosts Saturday, providing a home away from home for flood-battered South Carolina, complete with a breakaway Tigers house band that blared out the Gamecocks' alma mater and fight song before and after the game.

But what South Carolina got from its Tiger Stadium hosts - and 42,058 mostly purple-and-gold fans - was a painfully up-close look at LSU's relentless running attack, the powerful and efficient engine that has driven the Tigers to a 5-0 start.

By piling up 625 yards in total offense in a 45-24 victory - including a school-record 396 rushing yards - LSU became the first team in SEC history to have two running backs rush for at least 150 yards in a game.

Heisman Trophy front-runner Leonard Fournette shredded the South Carolina defense for 158 yards on 20 carries before limping off midway through the third quarter with what appeared to be a minor leg injury.

Fournette's calling card was his game-changing, 87-yard dash for a touchdown on the second play of the second half that gave LSU the breathing space it needed with a 24-10 advantage. Fournette got a seal block from tight end Colin Jeter, made strong safety Jordan Diggs grab for air and then outraced cornerbacks Rico McWilliams and Al Harris to the end zone.

"I'd like to have us do that earlier than the second play of the second half, but great players make great plays," said LSU coach Les Miles. "It's pretty obvious we're pretty talented at tailback."

"I had that feeling I was going to break it," Fournette said. "(I) had a hole and hit it."

When Fournette limped off after a seven-yard gain in the third quarter, his exit simply set the stage for yet another LSU tailback - true freshman Derrius Guice - who mopped up with 161 yards on 16 attempts, including a 25-yard run on which he broke five tackles.

Asked to describe Guice, Miles said, "I think he's pretty talented. Reckless might be the word ... angry. There are a number of ways to describe his running style ... efficient."

When you have to choose from among those adjectives, all is well in Miles' thesaurus.

Miles said Fournette was not hurt and could have returned to the game if needed.

"We want to keep him fresh," Miles said. "When he hit the one in the second half, I was thinking, 'Let's get him out of here.'"

After leading just 17-10 at halftime - a game that was tighter than expected because of South Carolina true freshman Rashad Fenton's 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown - LSU cranked up its rushing attack, gaining 209 yards on 17 carries in the third quarter. The Tigers scored touchdowns on drives of 90, 80 and 75 yards in the third quarter and then added a fourth consecutive score on a four-yard run by Guice to take a 45-24 lead with 13:15 left.

"LSU is big, strong, tough, maybe smarter than us," said South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier. "We gave up a lot of big plays. We haven't quite done that all year."

With 1,022 yards during the Tigers' 5-0 start, Fournette eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark faster than any back in LSU history. The previous record was held by Charles Alexander, who did it in seven games in 1977.

LSU exhibited rare offensive balance, with sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris completing 18 of 28 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns, including a 62-yard connection with wide receiver Travin Dural on a pass the glanced off the hands of tight end DeSean Smith.

South Carolina stayed in range with two second-half scoring passes by quarterback Perry Orth - 36 yards to tight end Jerell Adams and 43 yards to wide receiver Pharoh Cooper - but couldn't get closer than 14 points.

Fournette said after the game he wanted to auction off his signed game jersey to the highest bidder - with the proceeds going to help flood victims in South Carolina - but he found out it would be an NCAA "violation."

When Fournette also heard that Georgia running back Nick Chubb - one of his competitors in the Heisman race - had suffered a serious knee injury on Saturday, he said, "My heart just shattered."

NOTES: The LSU band broke into special teams mode before the game, sending about 30 of its members to the South Carolina sidelines to play the Gamecocks' fight song as the team ran onto the field. The entire LSU band played the South Carolina alma mater for the assembled Gamecock players at the end of the game. ... Leonard Fournette's totals for his last seven games: 1,311 yards rushing on 150 carries (8.7-yard average) and 15 TDs. ... Freshman Rashad Fenton's 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which cut the South Carolina deficit to 14-10 midway through the second quarter, was the first time he touched the ball in college. "That was my best call of the game," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. "If we had any sense, we would have had him at wide receiver all year." ... When South Carolina's Elliott Fry kicked a 21-yard field goal on the Gamecock's first series, it was the first time LSU had trailed all season.