LSU’s first break from SEC play in Week 5 looked exactly like the kind of reset a ranked team wants: a lopsided win, plenty of production on offense, and no injury drama to sort through afterward. The No. 11 Tigers rolled past McNeese 63-14 to move to 4-1, and the night gave them a clean finish to nonconference play.
The headline number was the one LSU put up on offense. The Tigers piled up 730 yards, which stands as the second-highest single-game total in school history. That output came with balance, too, as LSU ran the ball 53 times for 367 yards while the passing game kept the pressure on.
Sam Leavitt handled the start and delivered three touchdowns, going 18-of-23 for 176 yards with one interception. Once the game tilted fully in LSU’s favor, Lane Kiffin turned to the rest of the quarterback room.
Landen Clark completed 7 of 16 passes for 126 yards and also found the end zone on the ground. Husan Longstreet added another layer, finishing 6-of-9 passing for 62 yards and rushing four times for 32 yards.
The backfield did plenty of damage on its own. Harlem Berry led the Tigers with 15 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Stacy Gage made the most of a smaller workload.
Gage had just six rushing attempts, but he turned them into 110 yards and two touchdowns. One came on a 46-yard direct snap, and the other covered 39 yards.
LSU’s defense kept the game comfortably in hand by limiting McNeese to 196 total yards. The Cowboys managed only one conversion on 12 third-down tries. The Tigers finished with seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
Next up, LSU heads to Kentucky. The Wildcats are coming off a wild comeback at South Carolina, where they erased a 17-0 deficit and beat the Gamecocks 35-34 in overtime after a successful 2-point conversion.
In Other News...
LSU May Have Found A New Weapon In Saturday's Rout
Saturdays rout offered LSU something it has been searching for on offense: another young target who can do real damage as soon as the ball is snapped. True freshman Corey Barber Jr. made the most of his chances in the first half, hauling in four passes for 45 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers quickly separated from McNeese State and turned the game into a runaway before halftime.
The timing matters, too, because LSU got that burst while quarterback Sam Leavitt was still managing a hamstring injury and still finished the day efficiently through the air. By halftime, the Tigers had already piled up a 35-0 lead, outgained McNeese State 347 yards to 31 and owned a 20-2 edge in first downs, a sign that the offense was operating with more rhythm and more answers than the opponent could handle. [Read more 🡒]
LSU's QB Plan Just Got More Complicated Than Fans Hoped
LSUs quarterback picture already had a little fog around it, and the McNeese State game only made it thicker. Sam Leavitt was back under center as the regular starter even while working through a hamstring injury from the previous week, a reminder that the Tigers are managing more than just the normal September wear and tear. Behind him, Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet were also slated for meaningful snaps, keeping the offense in a state of shared responsibility rather than a clean, settled hierarchy.
It was not just the quarterback room feeling the strain. Safety Ty Benefield and William Satterwhite II also started in place of injured or replaced players, which says plenty about how many moving parts LSU has had to sort through at once. For a team trying to establish rhythm early, the challenge is no longer simply who starts, but how quickly the Tigers can get continuity while those rotations keep shifting around them. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Sent LSU A Clear Message In A Blowout Win
LSUs 63-14 win over McNeese State looked one-sided long before it was over, but the bigger takeaway may have been the way Lane Kiffin handled it. The Tigers piled up a program-record number of first downs and offensive plays while finishing with the second-most total yards in school history, a reminder that the performance stayed sharp from start to finish even after the margin opened up.
Kiffin still found ways to keep the edge intact, calling timeout before the second half despite the comfortable lead and making substitutions that were as much about message as matchup. It was a clear push to reinforce his standards and the culture he wants in place, even in a game that could have easily drifted into empty snaps and soft focus. [Read more 🡒]