LSU spent Saturday night turning a highly anticipated Week 1 matchup into a one-sided showcase. After a weather delay pushed kickoff to 9:40 p.m.
ET, the No. 11 Tigers wasted no time separating from Clemson and rolled to a 51-10 win that looked lopsided in every corner of the box score.
The game did open with a brief Clemson spark. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt threw behind his receiver and Clemson picked it off, then cashed in with a field goal for a 3-0 lead.
That was as good as it got for Dabo Swinney’s team. LSU answered with 51 straight points and never gave the game back.
The clearest sign of the gap was on third down. Clemson finished 1-for-13, while LSU kept drives alive at a 11-for-16 clip.
The Tigers from Baton Rouge also owned the possession game through production, piling up 644 total yards to Clemson’s 145. LSU averaged 6.9 yards per play; Clemson managed just 3.
The numbers on Clemson’s offense were rough across the board. The visitors produced only eight first downs all night, and several of those came late.
One first down came via penalty. Clemson finished with four rushing first downs and three passing first downs, and its three longest plays were only 25 yards, 22 yards and an 11-yard run late in the fourth quarter.
The ground game never got going. Clemson ran it 26 times for 40 net yards, a 1.5-yard average per carry, and had two players finish with negative rushing yards in Bryant West Jr. and Tait Reynolds.
Most of that modest total came on the late touchdown drive. With 10:41 left in the fourth quarter, Clemson had zero net rushing yards.
LSU, by contrast, ran for 309 yards.
Clemson also had just one red zone trip, which says plenty about how often the offense was stuck outside the danger zone. Its longest drive lasted only four plays and 29 yards before ending in a punt in the first quarter.
At quarterback, Chris Vizzina’s debut was a tough one. He completed 10 passes for 83 yards.
LSU’s Sam Leavitt had the better night despite the early interception. He finished with 230 passing yards and one touchdown, and his overall production reached 346 total yards.
He also led LSU in rushing, tying Dilin Jones with 113 yards on the ground.
Leavitt had help all over the field. Winston Watkins Jr. was his top target, catching seven passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. LSU had four different receivers average at least 14 yards per catch, another sign of how many ways the offense was stress-testing Clemson.
Clemson, meanwhile, never found a receiver who topped 31 yards. It was that kind of night: LSU was sharp, explosive and in control, while Clemson spent most of the evening trying to stop the bleeding.
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