TOP 5 TIGERS VS CLEMSON

SUBSCRIBE HERE TO GAIN FURTHER ACCESS TO LSUODYSSEY

By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

In a near nostalgic, defensive-led victory over #4 Clemson, #9 LSU took control & clamped down Dabo Swinney's crew, 17-10.

There were many standout Tigers throughout those 4 solid quarters of play, mostly led by Blake Baker's savage, throwback defense, and I picked the 5 best performers from my perspective:

5.GARRETT NUSSMEIER

230 PASSING YARDS

28/38

1 TD PASS

0 TURNOVERS

1-5, any of these guys could be #1:

On the road @ #4 Clemson, Nussmeier displayed all the attributes or intangibles every one of his doubters believed he wasn't capable of, while offering a steely preview for NFL General Managers:

Unflappable, commanding, calculating....Nussmeier announced himself as a true Heisman frontrunner with a ballsy performance, punishing Clemson at every opportunity, never forcing the football into any danger area, remaining deadly accurate throughout all 4 quarters, and riding a tough 1st half where a lot of things went against the LSU offense.

But as the 2nd half materialized, Nussmeier was in complete and utter control, working Clemson's highly touted front, only taking 1 sack, minimizing any and all mistakes, and finding 2024's leading Tiger receiver Aaron Anderson for 99 yards and 6 receptions.

He later tossed a dream touchdown pass to Barion Brown, only for referees to wave off the brilliant pass and catch for zero reason;

Then, in typical NussBus fashion, this blatant, scandalous officiating robbery didn't get him down...all he did was answer with a perfectly thrown fade route ball for Trey'Dez Green, a towering touchdown that iced the game.

It was a display that meant more than mere stats, Nussmeier supplied his most mature and complete outing as a collegiate quarterback, throwing down his entire gauntlet of signal calling armory....and also presented some facets to his game many didn't know he possessed.

4.AARON ANDERSON

99 YARDS

6 CATCHES

5 1st DOWNS EARNED

In a game with very few impact plays through the air, Aaron Anderson continued his "gotta have it" miracle work from last fall, producing from the depths & offensive nadir for Joe Sloan's unit...delivering an explosive 39 yard play (the game's longest) and methodically moving the chains with each of his 6 grabs.

When LSU needed him most, Aaron Anderson repeatedly pulled down big plays against the toughest opponents....and despite so many other Tiger receivers getting outside love this offseason, maybe it's time the college football world begin to embrace the Tigers' most valuable receiver...measurables be damned.

And still, Joe Sloan has only really scratched the surface when it concerns maximizing Anderson to his utmost....he is equipped with plenty of electric potential, alongside gritty playmaking the Tigers desperately required on Saturday.

3. BRAELIN MOORE

Taking home SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors following his bullish, bruising steel wall brutality against Clemson, LSU center Braelin Moore enjoyed a dream Tiger debut.

Already considered one of the Tigers' most valuable players, he routinely made that point evident through his steady-handed, intense leadership, raising the levels of the offensive linemen around him, as well as providing the perfect iron curtain directly in front of Nussmeier.

Moore is obviously the focal point of LSU's offensive line, although Saturday he became more or less the anchor of Joe Sloan's entire offense....

2. MANSOOR DELANE

8 TARGETS

1 CATCH ALLOWED

21 YARDS ALLOWED

3 FORCED INCOMPLETIONS

2 PBUs

1 INT

The winner of Head Coach Brian Kelly's game ball, transfer cornerback Mansoor Delane was everything LSU fans hoped he'd be:

Finally, for the first time in 4 years at LSU, since the departure of Derek Stingley Jr and Eli Ricks, DBU has itself a shutdown, lockdown corner.

Targeted a whopping 8 times, Clemson QB Cade Klubnik was intent on punishing the former Virginia Tech corner; Instead, Delane had himself a star-making, powerhouse Saturday night, intercepting Klubnik, breaking up 2 passes, forcing 3 incompletions via sticky coverage, making strong tackles on the edge to minimize gains, and allowing just a single catch for 21 yards against a pair of 1st-2nd Round level receivers.....completely shadowing & shackling the Clemson passing game.

1. HAROLD PERKINS

5 TACKLES

3 PRESSURES

2 QB HITS

1.5 TFLs

1 SACK

With a fiery, vintage display, Harold Perkins Jr wasn't just back to his old versatile, QB-hunting, backfield-sieging self, this was a new and improved, ultimate, fully realized version of Perkules...

In his first game since he tore his ACL vs UCLA 11 months ago, Perkins led the best defensive outing at LSU in the post-2019 era, showing zero signs of rust as he lit up Clemson's backfield on 7 different high profile occasions, stuffing their nonexistent running game for 1.5 TFLs (just 1.6 yards per carry for 30 yards total), alongside 3 venomous pressures, 2 QB hits on Klubnik (including 1 on the final game-sealing play), and a sack on the Heisman hopeful inside the red zone.

Finally after 3 seasons, 1 of those years curtailed after 4 games by injury, Blake Baker knew exactly how to utilize Perkins: as a spy on some plays, delayed blitzes off the edge or interior, in coverage on other snaps, Harold has found a positional home in his free role at star.....and it's starting to feel like LSU's #7 steambreather is just scratching the surface of what could be an intergalactic 2025 season.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

CADEN DURHAM

WHIT WEEKS

PAT PAYTON

By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

©️ 2025 Uninterrupted Writings Inc