Brandon Weeden threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns as No. 8 Oklahoma State trounced Louisiana-Lafayette 61-34 in the season opener.

Running back Joseph Randle, who is trying to place All-American Kendall Hunter, added 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.

The Cowboys surged to a 34-10 halftime lead as Heisman candidate Justin Blackmon, arguably the nation’s top receiver, caught seven balls for 127 yards.

The Ragin’ Cajuns scored their only first-half touchdown on a 37-yard interception return by Dwight Bentley. It was one of three picks thrown by Weeden.

The Cowboys, coming off a program-best 11-2 record in 2010, improved to 8-0 all-time against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

New Cowboys offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who stepped in when Dana Holgorsen left for West Virginia, got off to a fine start after inheriting most key pieces from last year’s third-ranked scoring offense (44.2 points).