LSU has had Clemson circled for months, but the Tigers’ season opener in Baton Rouge comes with a wrinkle that makes the usual film study a lot less useful: the offense LSU is preparing for may not look much like the one it has seen before.
That uncertainty starts with Chad Morris, who is back at Clemson as offensive coordinator for his second stint after more than a decade away from the job. It also runs through the quarterback spot, where Christopher Vizzina is expected to take over, though Dabo Swinney has not officially named a starter as of publication.
Lane Kiffin addressed that challenge Monday, and he didn’t sugarcoat it.
“We're not sure exactly what they'll look like,” Kiffin said. “That's always scary.”
Morris returned to Clemson in January and brings a track record from his first run calling plays there from 2011-14, when the Tigers went 41-11 and averaged 468.5 yards and 36.3 points per game. But LSU’s prep is complicated by the fact that Morris has spent years coaching elsewhere since leaving after the 2014 regular season, and the personnel he’ll be working with Saturday is not the same group he had when Tajh Boyd was running the show.
Vizzina adds another layer of mystery. The junior has spent the last three seasons behind Cade Klubnik and has attempted only 111 passes in his Clemson career. Last season, he completed 45 of 71 throws for 406 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
Kiffin said he knew Vizzina long before LSU started getting ready for this game.
“I remember from high school, actually watched him work out,” Kiffin said Monday. “Really talented, really throws well on the move.”
Vizzina arrived at Clemson as a highly regarded member of the 2023 recruiting class, but he has mostly waited his turn behind Klubnik. Now, with Klubnik gone and Morris back in charge, he looks set for the biggest opportunity of his Clemson career on one of college football’s biggest opening-week stages.
Kiffin called Morris and Vizzina “a really good combination,” but said LSU can’t get lost trying to guess every twist Clemson might show. His message was that the focus has to stay on the home team’s own work.
“This will be about us practicing really well and then playing really well in a really exciting environment,” Kiffin said, “but going back to not all the hype and just the preparation of it and playing really well in our first game together.”
He also had strong words for the program Clemson has built under Swinney, calling the Tigers a “really tough opponent” with an experienced staff.
“Dabo's one of the best to ever do it and has done it for a long time,” Kiffin said.
Saturday should give the first real glimpse of what Clemson’s next offense looks like. LSU knows the key names. What it doesn’t know yet is exactly how Morris and Vizzina will put it all together in Baton Rouge.
In Other News...
Clemsons D-Line Has A Growing Problem Before The LSU Opener
Clemsons defensive line entered the late-summer stretch already under a little scrutiny, and the situation around senior tackle Vic Burley only adds to the uncertainty. Burley remains indefinitely suspended after his arrest on a misdemeanor public disorderly conduct charge, and the case has moved to a conditional discharge that includes probation, education programs and community service if he completes the terms. For a team heading into a major opener, any absence along the interior is worth watching.
Dabo Swinney said Burley is not currently part of Clemsons top defensive tackle group, and there is no timeline yet for his return. That leaves the Tigers trying to sort out a position where depth and rotation matter as much as raw talent, especially this close to the LSU matchup. The longer the situation lingers, the more it turns a single disciplinary issue into a real roster problem. [Read more 🡒]
Dabo Just Added Real Tension To LSUs Opener With Kiffin
Dabo Swinney used a Sept. 1 press conference to give Lane Kiffin an unusually warm public nod, reflecting on the first time the two crossed paths back in the mid-2000s when they were assistant coaches. Swinney called Kiffin one of the best coaches in the business, a notable bit of praise with Clemson and LSU set to open their season against each other in a game that already has plenty of built-in intrigue.
The matchup carries extra edge because it is the first time the two will be on opposite sidelines as head coaches, adding another layer to a heavyweight opener between two programs trying to make an early statement. Swinneys comments only sharpen the spotlight on a meeting that has been a long time coming, and one that should tell plenty about where both teams stand right out of the gate. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Heads To LSU With A QB Situation Fans Didn't Want
For the third straight year, Clemson went into Week 1 without a public depth chart, keeping the focus on a quarterback race that never seemed to settle down in the days before the opener. Head coach Dabo Swinney waited until late Tuesday to make his decision, and the delay only added to the uncertainty surrounding a team heading into a high-profile trip to LSU with more questions than Clemson fans expected.
Swinneys wait ended with Christopher Vizzina getting the nod over freshman Tait Reynolds, but even that announcement came with the sense that the competition has not exactly been closed off. In the buildup, Swinney made it clear he did not see either quarterback as a true lock, which leaves Clemson entering a difficult road game with the starter identified, but the situation around the position still feeling very much in motion. [Read more 🡒]