LSU LOOK LIKE TITLE CONTENDERS IN LANE KIFFIN'S STUNNING TIGER DEBUT, 51-10 OVER CLEMSON
- Lonn Phillips Sullivan
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
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by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
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In a game featuring a 2 hour lightning delay right before kickoff, no matter what anything or anyone may have tried, nothing could delay the inevitable:
You could feel it in the air....LSU were about to destroy Clemson...and still, "destroy" doesn't quite capture it....
Pasting the largest single game margin of defeat in Dabo Swinney's career (41 points), Saturday night at Tiger Stadium was a statement of dominant, swaggering intent as LSU signaled in a new era, with a new Head Coach and a new starting QB by re-instituting some old school Tiger ethos: fast, brash, and physical throughout, Dabo Swinney's Clemson simply had no chance as they were dominated and even humiliated on both sides of the ball by Lane Kiffin's LSU:
Everything LSU couldn't execute during the Brian Kelly era (run the ball, block, win on critical downs, score points, and of course, coach) was pushed to the maximum on Saturday night....as if the past 3 1/2 years was all a bad nightmare.......well, LSU just woke up:
Our pregame prediction was LSU 31-6, and yet, the Tigers racked up 31 points and over 200 rushing yards by halftime, backed by a stellar debut from QB Sam Leavitt, exuding confidence to shake off an interception on his 2nd passing attempt, and showcasing his dual threat capabilities in all their ultimate glory, looking like the Heisman potential signal caller so many wondered about this offseason.
Time and time again, Leavitt ripped through Clemson's defense for 113 total rushing yards (breaking their will through one scramble after another), punching in 2 brilliantly weaving, careening trips to the endzone, tossing a 32 yard TD bomb downfield for Winnie Watkins, and ending 16/28 for 230 passing yards (converting 11/16 on 3rd down as an offense & a school record 38 overall first downs)....rested for the entire 4th quarter after firmly announcing himself.
In 2025, LSU only had 1 Tiger eclipse 100 yards all season....
On Saturday night, Lane Kiffin's Tigers featured 3 different starters eclipsing 100 yards, Winnie Watkins at 110 receiving yards (slipping and stuttering over the middle and in the shallow routes, burning and burying Clemson defenders), while both RB Dilin Jones and Sam Leavitt put together 113 yards each (Jones scoring and earning key 1st downs from direct snaps), and Kiffin / Weis Jr's offense showed up in a massive way, delivering 644 total yards of offense & 44 points (rushing and passing for 300+).
But the speed and precision of Kiffin / Weis Jr's offensive attack was perfectly matched by Blake Baker's savage, brutally great defense, only allowing 3 points, 53 total yards (just 2 on the ground) and 1 single 1st down throughout the entire 1st half (1/13 on 3rd down opportunities), setting the tone by way of an early Jordan Ross pick six, before LSU subsequently added 4 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 5 QB hits, and consistent, bulldozing pressure up front.
In his first full game in almost a calendar year, starting linebacker and new #7 Whit Weeks established LSU's defensive swagger with an early tackle for loss on 3rd down, then joined by standout performances by Jordan Ross again displaying his greatness (1 INT RET TD, 1 sack, 2 TFLs), Princewill Umanmielen (1.5 sacks, 2 TFLs, and led the team with 6 tackles), Dylan Carpenter (2 TFLs, 2 QB hits, and 1 sack), plus there were subtly strong showings by Ty Benefield, Dashawn Spears, and the double team clogging Deuce Geralds.
After years of concern & trouble, LSU's trenches, on both sides of the ball, mauled Clemson completely, obliterating Dabo Swinney's players into submission. Hell, Kiffin even had his team go for a 2 point conversion up 44-3, at one point....
LSU broke Clemson's spirit early, but relentlessly kept their foot on the gas, wearing and exhausting Clemson down by the end of the 1st half alone....only allowing a field goal due to Leavitt's early interception & a late 4th quarter touchdown during extreme garbage time....
This wasn't merely an evisceration of Clemson....it felt like the arrival of Lane Kiffin's Tigers as serious National Championship contenders.
Saturday night was the perfect start to ignite LSU's 2026 rebirth, and man oh man, with College Gameday in tow, and the entire world seemingly against LSU after the circumstances of the past month, there is no better way to silence the doubters and embarrass the haters more than playing like Tigers for 4 full quarters....
This is what LSU should look like...this is the apex of what's possible in Baton Rouge...and Kiffin and Co are just getting started...
....whatever anyone wants to say about Lane Kiffin or his LSU team, they won't be lining up to face this squad with glee or enthusiasm....
....fear and pain is what will weigh heavily on the minds of LSU's future opponents.....because this masterpiece showing, for all its positives, is only just the beginning...
5 Things Tiger Fans Learned Saturday
5. LSU HAS THEIR FIRST TOP 10 DEFENSE SINCE 2017
4. SAM LEAVITT IS AN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT QB FOR THIS SYSTEM & THIS TEAM, W/ A BOUNDLESS CEILING
3. LSU'S TRENCHES WERE ELITE TONIGHT WITH POTENTIAL OFFENSIVELY & DEPTH DEFENSIVELY TO CONTINUE (RUSHING FOR 300+ & PENETRATING THE BACKFIELD FOR 4 SACKS & 11 TFLs)
2. LSU'S COACHING WAS ELITE TONIGHT
1. TIGER STADIUM IS STILL THE BEST VENUE IN SPORTS
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2026 UNINTERRUPTED WRITINGS INC
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