LSU walked out of Week 1 with the kind of defensive stat line that usually shuts down any debate before it starts. Clemson managed only 145 total yards, eight first downs, 40 rushing yards and one conversion on 13 third-down tries in a 51-10 loss, with the Tigers’ lone touchdown coming in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
But Louisiana Tech showed enough in its opener to at least make people look twice.
The Bulldogs rolled past Northwestern State 80-6 and set a program record for points scored as a Division I team, while stacking up 528 yards of offense. That’s not the same thing as being Clemson, and nobody is pretending it is.
Louisiana Tech doesn’t bring Clemson’s recruiting profile, depth or collection of Power Four talent. Still, the way the Bulldogs moved the ball gives LSU a different kind of problem this week.
They were balanced, for one thing. Louisiana Tech ran for 232 yards and four touchdowns and threw for 296 yards and six scores.
The Bulldogs averaged 6.3 yards per carry, completed 17 of 22 passes and converted seven of 11 third downs. That mix is what LSU never had to deal with against Clemson, where Blake Baker’s defense spent most of the night pinning its ears back.
Louisiana Tech also hit quickly. On its first offensive snap, quarterback Blake Baker connected with Jalen Mickens on a 75-yard touchdown. Baker finished 10 of 14 for 232 yards and three touchdowns, while Mickens turned three catches into 133 yards.
That’s the part that makes this matchup interesting. LSU didn’t just beat Clemson; it dictated the terms of the game.
The defense logged 11 tackles for loss and four sacks, kept Clemson behind the chains and turned the night into a series of obvious passing downs. The Bulldogs have to avoid letting that happen to them.
They’re not walking into Baton Rouge expecting to recreate 80 points against a defense that just smothered a ranked Power Four opponent. But if Louisiana Tech can get its run game going and land an explosive play or two early, LSU could be forced to do more than it did against Clemson.
There’s another layer here, too: how LSU handles the emotional letdown after such a lopsided opener.
"That's a big challenge, one that I've been on them immediately," Kiffin said. "Just knowing how that goes, that's a real thing."
And LSU has already seen Louisiana Tech hang around longer than expected. Last season, the Tigers beat the Bulldogs only 23-7 in Tiger Stadium even while ranked No. 3 nationally. LSU controlled that game, but Louisiana Tech made it uncomfortable for a while.
So no, the Bulldogs aren’t suddenly the most dangerous offense LSU will face this year. And one 80-point outburst against an FCS opponent doesn’t change the basic expectation for Saturday. But after Clemson failed to really stress LSU for four quarters, Louisiana Tech arrives with balance, confidence and enough big-play punch to ask a few questions the Tigers never had to answer in Week 1.
In Other News...
LSU Is Stuck In An SEC Fight With No Clear End
Pete Thamels latest Week 2 update offered a mixed bag for the SECs heavyweights, with Texas getting healthier up front and still waiting on one key eligibility ruling. Left tackle Trevor Goosby is back from a knee injury, while offensive lineman Cole Hutson is practicing but remains ineligible as his NCAA appeal continues to work through the process.
LSUs news, though, is less about the depth chart and more about the larger picture around the program. After a conference meeting, the Tigers SEC membership situation is still unresolved, and the league is monitoring the issue as legal complications continue to shape the timeline. For LSU, it is the kind of off-field uncertainty that can linger well beyond a single game week, with no clear end in sight yet. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Jefferson Just Added Fuel To LSU's New Identity
Justin Jeffersons return to Baton Rouge came with more than nostalgia. The former LSU star was at the Tigers game against Clemson and offered support for the direction Lane Kiffin is pushing, backing a team that has leaned into a sharper, more aggressive edge under its new head coach. With so many new faces in the program, LSU is trying to establish a fresh identity quickly, and Jeffersons approval only adds a little more weight to the message.
The part that stands out is how openly the Tigers have embraced the idea of being the villain now. Kiffins arrival from Ole Miss has given LSU a different kind of swagger, and Jefferson said the roster still has the kind of talent that can put it in the national championship conversation despite the turnover. For a program built on expectations, the challenge now is proving that the attitude matches the results. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Kelly Just Validated What LSU Fans Loved In Clemson Blowout
A familiar voice chimed in after LSUs season-opening win over Clemson, and Brian Kelly made sure to point toward the parts of the performance that tend to travel well in September. Now working as a CBS Sports analyst after leaving Baton Rouge, Kelly singled out the defense and the running game, two areas that looked especially sharp in LSUs debut under Lane Kiffin.
The praise carried a little extra weight because Kelly was also pointing back to Blake Baker, the defensive coordinator he hired. LSU held Clemson to 145 total yards while piling up 309 on the ground, the kind of balanced showing that gives a new staff a fast way to win over a skeptical fan base and, at least for one night, made Kellys old blueprint look pretty sound. [Read more 🡒]