ATLANTA -- After bumbling around early, LSU used three big plays to break the game open and take a 30-10 lead over North Carolina into halftime Saturday night in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.

Here's a quick halftime analysis:

Turning point: North Carolina had gone ahead 10-7 in the second quarter and had all the momentum. LSU hadn't been able to move the ball at all, either. But after a 47-yard kickoff return by Patrick Peterson, Russell Shepard took an inside handoff and raced 50 yards for a touchdown. The Tigers proceeded to score 23 unanswered points on their way to halftime.

Player of the half: LSU's Patrick Peterson is known all across college football for his cornerback skills, but he was a force in the return game in the first half. He had 244 combined yards in both kickoff and punt returns. He helped set up Shepard's 50-yard touchdown run with a long kickoff return, then returned a punt himself 87 yards for a touchdown and came back with another 37-yard punt return to set up Jordan Jefferson's 51-yard touchdown pass to Rueben Randle.

Stat of the half: The Tigers scored 30 first-half points with only 195 yards of total offense and seven first downs.