TOP 5 TIGER PERFORMANCES VS CLEMSON

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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

Saturday night was likely the most complete and authoritative peformance by a LSU team in any single game since the Tigers destroyed this same opponent....back on January 13th, 2020 in a much different world than the one we inhabit today....

....coming back from down 10 points to level Dabo Swinney's defending champions by 17 points, via record breaking receiving and passing outings by Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Burrow, LSU's title game defeat of Clemson paved the way for the greatest coronation in college football history...topping a team on a 28-0 winning streak, just 1 game away from accomplishing the most incredible feat the sport had ever seen....but instead, that destiny was stolen and attained by LSU.

Clemson....the same team LSU beat for the 1958 National Championship, the final team in the last season of real Tiger conquest in 2019...it was only proper that another beatdown of this same opponent would usher in a new era of LSU football under Lane Kiffin....and it went down in stunning fashion before the entire watching sports world....

In what has been dubbed by Stephen A Smith as the "single greatest beatdown in a game between 2 bigger programs", LSU pulled out one fantastic showstopping performance after another by a whole host of contributors, strutting their sheer power & dynamism at almost every position on the field.

The atmosphere was party-like, the spectacle was off the charts, but it was all thanks to LSU's explosive performances throughout the 4 quarters that turned the night into an all timer in Tiger Stadium's recent history.

A blowout so monumental, backups were firmly in place and taking over for the entire duration of the final 15 minutes...against Clemson....not Mcneese or Northwestern St!!!

There were many Tigers who could feature inside our weekly Top 5 performers, although i was able to whittle the number down to 5, somehow some way....in a game where LSU's Kiffin/Weis offense racked up 44 points, 644 total yards, 300+ on the ground and through the air, an offense featuring three different players who reached 100+ yards, while LSU's defense scored 7 points themselves, only gave up 3 points when it mattered (aka the first 3 quarters, and that was after an early Leavitt pick in their own territory), only 1 total first down, held Clemson to -2 rushing yards for the entirety of the game with starters on the field, creating 11 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, and plenty of havoc.

It was a masterpiece Tigers' performance, and so we have to deliver the best to you, Dear Readers:

HONORABLE MENTIONS

-DYLAN CARPENTER

2 TACKLES, 1 SACK, 1 TFL, 1 QB HIT

-WHIT WEEKS

5 TACKLES, 1 TFL

5. WINNIE WATKINS

11 TARGETS (1st)

7 CATCHES (1st)

1 TD CATCH (1st)

110 RECEIVING YARDS (1st)

14 RUSHING YARDS (1 RUSH)

Hitting big plays over the middle & downfield, specifically on his 3rd down TD catch that went for 32 yards, Winnie Watkins owned the shallow and middle areas of the field like an Aerial Astronaut.

Following a first year at Ole Miss under Kiffin, the red shirt freshman stud wideout took his meager, but promising 2025 production over to Kiffin's next stop in Baton Rouge, ignited over Fall Camp....and once again in Week 1, he's starting off with an almighty bang.

Also taking a jet sweep to the right for 14 yards with effortless ease, Watkins' versatility, speed, expert route running abilities and reading of the field is making him stand apart as QB Sam Leavitt's favorite target, at least through Week 1 (though Watkins did combine well alongside Leavitt during Fall Camp).

Expect Watkins to continue being utilized in the slot, but watch out for his movement pre snap and his devastation post snap...

Watkins just attacked Clemson from all angles, all night long, though he did look banged up at the end to me, and was among the very first Tiger starters to hit the bench.

4. PRINCEWILL UMANMIELEN

6 TACKLES (1st)

2 SACKS (1st)

2.5 TFLs (1st)

2 QB PRESSURES

Covering a ton of ground and making plays all over the field, Princewill Umanmielen was involved in multiple sacks, tackles for loss, and QB pressures, fulfilling his title as the #1 edge rusher in the portal....already gaining ground on last year's 9 sacks.

But his attention to detail vs the run was really strong, and compared to what we've seen from that position in recent years (outside of a few individuals), it was actually elite, stuffing ball carriers, holding the edge, as well as utilizing his towering length to shut down passing lanes with his mere standing presence.

3. DILIN JONES

113 RUSHING YARDS (Tied 1st)

23 CARRIES (1st)

4.9 AVG

1 RUSHING TD

Taking many different pathways to the end zone, former Wisconsin Badger Dilin Jones announced himself in an aggressive, assertive display, rushing for 3rd downs and his touchdown (the first 7 points of LSU's season) through direct snaps, stretches left or right, off tackle runs he'd cut back against the grain, powering and muscling Clemson defenders out of his way like an enraged bully.

Receiving a conference-leading 23 carries, Jones is without question LSU's #1 running back, turning offseason camp hype into reality.

Dilin Jones will definitely be the team's workhorse back, sporting all the attributes of a great one in the making...from next level vision, sneaky good separation pace, alongside expert tackle-breaking prowess, throwing one defender off his back, or stiff arming another, fearless and relentless inside the interior gaps, and scheme-versatile, Jones is the running back LSU fans have clamored for since Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a 1st round pick in 2020.

2. SAM LEAVITT

113 RUSHING YARDS (Tied 1st)

2 RUSHING TDs

3 MISSED TACKLES FORCED

16/28 PASSING

230 PASSING YARDS

1 PASSING TD

1 INT

Making all the right decisions, playing within the parameters of the game plan, and orchestrating a mostly flawless debut outing, LSU's exciting 2026 signal caller exhibited all the reasons why so many expected big things from him, showcasing the exact attributes required to be a superstar and then some vs Clemson.

It wasn't all easy...in fact, Sam Leavitt had to fight off early adversity:

His LSU debut started off with a precise slant pass to Tre Wilson on his first play as a Tiger quarterback, but he followed it by throwing his first interception, Leavitt's pass just behind Malik Elzy, forcing a drop that catapulted into the air from Elzy's hands / hip, only to land directly into the waiting chest & hands of a Clemson defender.

Despite the shocking, unlucky start, LSU's defense held Clemson to 3, Leavitt regrouped, refused to blink, and never looked back, feasting on Dabo Swinney's squad: producing 7 runs of 10+ yards, plus 2 further rushes of 8 & 9 yards to cap his 113 rushing yards with 2 rushing scores.

Elsewhere, Leavitt broke 4 tackles, and made 3 different defenders miss completely, demonstrating slithering, slaloming, elusive improvisational scrambling skills, setting Tiger Stadium on fire with one dizzying display of scrambling assassinry after another.

Through the air, Leavitt found Trey'Dez Green early, generating a rhythm underneath or across the middle, before working the ball around to Winnie Watkins, his most preferred target on Saturday night, hitting Watkins in stride for big time plays that broke Clemson's will.

The play that finished Clemson off arrived through the magic of a perfect play call on 3rd down by Charlie Weis Jr, unselfish route running by other receivers, and a venomous tear drop long ball by Leavitt:

Route combinations on the right opened the space for Watkins, sneaking across to the left, Leavitt dropped back and without hesitation tossed a touch-perfect downfield ball for the 32 yard touchdown.

While the passing game wasn't as flashy, effective or as polished as it will be later on down the road, Leavitt was enjoying himself thoroughly, establishing his foothold on the national QB conversation, and leading LSU into the guts of an exciting season....

....thanks to his dual threat majesty, anything seems possible on offense.

1. JORDAN ROSS

4 QB PRESSURES (1st)

2 TFLs

1 SACK

1 INT (INT TD RET)

1 DEFENSIVE TD

The man who set the tone....

While Whit Weeks forced an early punt after an expertly timed tackle for loss on 3rd and short, or Ty Benefield deflected a 3rd down pass out of Bryant Wesco's hands to force a field goal, these stops were underlined and emphasized by three 1st quarter plays by Jordan Ross that not only effectively ended the contest, these plays galvanized Blake Baker's defense and set them on course to be one of the premier units in America:

Dropping back into a passing lane, DE Jordan Ross picked off Chris Vizzina's wayward throw and scampered uncontested 30 or so yards into the end zone, a moment that made Tiger Stadium erupt off the scales and rattle Clemson's cage.

On the next play of the subsequent drive, Ross's speed was on full exhibition mode as he flew off the edge and derailed Vizzina into the grass.

Ross would also add two more tackles for loss later, and continually hunted down both Clemson QBs for a team-high 4 pressures.

Both Jordan Ross and Princewill produced A+ showings, however, Ross's pick six & sack on back to back plays sent a message to Clemson and to the college football world: LSU IS HERE....WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT....

by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

©️ 2026 Uninterrupted Writings Inc