Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut had a late start, but the result came fast and loud once the game finally kicked off.
No. 11 LSU buried Clemson 51-10 on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, leaning on a rushing attack that kept rolling and a defense that turned the night into a nightmare for Dabo Swinney’s team. Sam Leavitt did plenty of damage with his legs and arm, Jordan Ross added a defensive touchdown, and LSU never let Clemson recover after the game’s opening minutes.
The delay was no small thing, either. A lightning storm pushed kickoff back nearly two hours at Tiger Stadium, where a sellout crowd of 102,000 had to wait through the rain before getting its first look at Kiffin on the LSU sideline. Once the game started, LSU wasted no time showing what this version of the Tigers wants to be.
By halftime, LSU was already ahead 31-3, had piled up 336 yards to Clemson’s 54, and owned a 21-1 edge in first downs. Kiffin, in a brief TV interview, couldn’t resist a jab.
“Imagine if we had pro players,” Kiffin said lightheartedly at the end of a brief TV interview at halftime, by which time LSU led 31-3, had outgained Clemson 336 yards to 54, and had 21 first downs to Clemson's one.
The offense looked every bit like a Kiffin group from the jump. LSU ran 23 plays for 140 yards in the first quarter alone, and the ground game kept smashing through Clemson’s front after that. LSU finished with 644 yards of offense and handed Clemson its worst loss in about 30 years.
Dilin Jones, the Wisconsin transfer, powered the backfield with 113 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He put LSU ahead for good with a 1-yard score to make it 10-3. Ross then flipped the game even more sharply with a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown, and Leavitt followed with rushing scores of 8 and 13 yards to send LSU into control late in the second quarter.
Leavitt finished with 113 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, and he added 230 passing yards and a passing TD. His third-quarter strike to Ole Miss transfer Winston Watkins Jr. covered 32 yards down the left sideline and stretched the lead further. Jones later added a 12-yard touchdown to make it 44-3.
After that, Leavitt was done for the night, opening the door for reserves Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet.
Clemson never found a rhythm. The Tigers briefly led 3-0 after cornerback Ashton Hampton intercepted Leavitt’s second pass of the game, but that was about as good as the night got. Swinney went to freshman Tait Reynolds late in the second quarter after starting quarterback Christopher Vizzina struggled to move the offense.
The numbers told the story. Clemson was held below 100 yards and didn’t reach the end zone until less than seven minutes remained in the fourth quarter. LSU’s defense also produced four sacks and a score, continuing the momentum from last season.
For LSU, the ground game was the headline. The Tigers ranked 126th nationally in rushing in 2025, averaging 104 yards per game, but that changed in a hurry here. With improved play up front, Jones in the mix, and Leavitt adding another layer with his legs, LSU rushed for 213 yards in the first half alone - more than it managed in any game last season.
Clemson, meanwhile, leaves with a lot to sort through after a loss that matched the program’s worst in roughly three decades. LSU gets Louisiana Tech next on Sept. 12.
In Other News...
LSU Fans Had Plenty To Say About GameDay In Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge got the full College GameDay treatment to open the season, and Lainey Wilson was right in the middle of it. Ahead of her turn as the Week 1 celebrity guest picker, the Louisiana native performed the shows intro song and then rolled into her hit Cant Sit Still, giving LSU fans an early jolt before the real football talk took over.
The reaction online was quick and mixed, with plenty of viewers taking aim at both Wilsons performance and ESPNs decision to alter the familiar GameDay opening. Even so, not every fan was bothered by the change, and some seemed more welcoming of Wilsons presence than other parts of the broadcast. For a show built on tradition, it was a reminder that even a familiar Saturday ritual can still stir up a debate in Tiger country. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Drama Just Drew A Warning Tigers Fans Can't Ignore
The eligibility dispute around LSU and former NFL players has already escaped the usual offseason noise and turned into something much bigger, with Paul Finebaum weighing in sharply on the back-and-forth involving Lane Kiffin, the Tigers and the SEC. Finebaum praised commissioner Greg Sankey and the conference presidents for how they handled the matter, but his comments also underscored how quickly a rules question can become a referendum on the people running a program.
For LSU, the uncomfortable part is not just the original issue, but the way it has invited scrutiny about leadership and the possibility of larger fallout if the situation keeps escalating. Finebaum even floated the idea that SEC presidents could talk about removing LSU from the league, though he made clear that outcome is unlikely, which is a reminder of how much tension this episode has created around a program that would rather be talking about football. [Read more 🡒]
College GameDay Took A Strange Turn Before LSU Clemson Even Kicked Off
ESPNs College GameDay got the kind of Baton Rouge welcome nobody had on the script for LSU-Clemson, as lightning forced the network to hit pause during its 40th season kickoff show. What was supposed to be the usual charged, early-morning buildup around the Tigers instead turned into a weather delay that sent the crew scrambling and changed the feel of the entire broadcast before the game even started.
When the show came back, it did so from inside an empty theater, a sharp contrast to the packed scene fans expected from one of college footballs biggest opening weekends. The interruption and relocation quickly became part of the conversation around the day, a strange little pregame wrinkle that stood out almost as much as the matchup itself. [Read more 🡒]