Lane Kiffin’s LSU team has already shown two very different versions of itself, and that’s exactly why the Tigers are at a crossroads after back-to-back SEC losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky.
The flashes are real. So is the frustration.
LSU built a strong start, then ran into the kind of conference stretch that exposes whether a team is settled or still searching. The answer here is not to rip everything up.
The Tigers have already proven they can move the ball, score points and hang with quality opponents. What they need is cleaner execution when the game tightens.
That was on full display in the 35-6 win over Texas A&M, when LSU piled up 506 yards and looked every bit like a group capable of making noise in the SEC. Sam Leavitt threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jackson Harris, who finished with 163 receiving yards. It was the kind of outing that shows what this offense can be when the passing game hits its stride.
Even in defeat, the Tigers haven’t been unable to score. In the 35-34 overtime loss to Kentucky, Leavitt threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns, while Harris added a touchdown reception and also threw a touchdown pass of his own.
LSU put 34 points on the board and still came away empty. That’s the problem in a nutshell: the offense can create, but it hasn’t consistently turned production into wins.
The Ole Miss loss followed a similar script. LSU trailed 24-7 at halftime, then stormed back with 17 unanswered points to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
For a moment, the Tigers had the momentum and the stage set for a comeback finish. But the Rebels answered with a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion to seize control for good.
Kentucky brought the same lesson in a different form. LSU had another chance to close the door and couldn’t.
Kenny Minchey led the Wildcats down the field to force a late field goal that tied the game, then ran in the decisive two-point conversion in overtime. Those are the moments LSU has to handle better if it wants to keep pace in the SEC.
That’s why the fix isn’t about tearing down the offensive scheme. Kiffin needs to get more out of what already works, not start from scratch.
The Tigers have already shown enough firepower to suggest the system is viable. The issue is whether they can finish drives and take care of the small details that separate a win from a loss.
The same logic applies on defense. LSU was outstanding against Texas A&M, holding the Aggies to six points and 197 total yards.
But that level didn’t carry over in the two losses, where the Tigers allowed 32 to Ole Miss and 35 to Kentucky. The defense has the ability to be effective, but consistency is the bigger challenge.
LSU doesn’t need a reinvention. It needs steadiness.
It needs better work when the pressure spikes. And it needs the kind of execution that showed up against Texas A&M to show up more often, because that’s the version that gives the Tigers a real shot to stay in the hunt at the top of the SEC.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Family Drama Adds To LSU Fans' Frustration After Loss
The mood around LSU was already sour after the upset loss to Kentucky, and Lane Kiffin did little to lift it when he pointed to execution errors and turnovers as the reasons the Tigers let one get away. For a fan base expecting a steadier response, the defeat only deepened the frustration around a season that has already produced too many anxious Saturdays.
Then came a bit of added off-field noise during the Red River Rivalry, when Landry Kiffin drew attention online by showing support for several SEC programs, including LSU, Ole Miss and Texas. The social media criticism that followed was less about football allegiance than the timing, since LSU supporters were already bristling over the loss and looking for something, anything, to settle the conversation back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Brings Auburn Fans A Bigger Question Than Media Day Absences
LSUs trip to SEC Media Day in Birmingham ended up looking a little thinner than planned, with coach Will Wade and several members of the program left behind by weather problems in Baton Rouge. The same travel issue also kept transfers Abdi Bashir Jr. and Mouhamed Dioubate from making the event, while Kim Mulkey and several LSU womens players were also absent from their own session, turning what should have been a routine preseason stop into a logistics story almost as much as a basketball one.
Beneath the inconvenience, though, the more interesting question for LSU is what the roster actually looks like once the season gets moving. The programs official group has been updated to 10 players, but several names still are not appearing there, and Wade has already been open about taking an unconventional approach to building out this team. For Auburn fans and everyone else around the league, the media-day absences were only the surface issue. The bigger issue is figuring out how complete LSU really is before the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Is Back In A Fight That Could Test Its SEC Future
LSU is back in the middle of a legal fight with the SEC, and this one reaches beyond the usual conference squabbling over rules and enforcement. The dispute centers on the eligibility of players added to the Tigers football and mens basketball rosters, with the league raising concerns that those rules may have been stretched, especially in cases involving athletes with professional experience.
The SEC has already gone as far as threatening punishments and even possible removal from the conference, which gives the issue a far different feel than a routine compliance argument. Mens basketball coach Will Wade has added to the scrutiny by signing several international players with professional backgrounds, leaving LSU facing a problem that is as much about its future place in the league as it is about the players now on campus. [Read more 🡒]