LSU gets Texas in Baton Rouge on Saturday, and the Tigers are walking into that Week 11 SEC matchup with more than just a chance to finish strong at home. After the loss to Alabama pushed LSU to three defeats, the focus turns to whether this team can clean up the issues that have shown up against top competition.
Three questions sit at the center of the matchup, and the first starts with quarterback Sam Leavitt. The Arizona State transfer has already shown he can pile up numbers in the SEC, but the next step is proving he can do it when the pressure really starts to squeeze.
Against Alabama, Leavitt was forced into a season-high 47 pass attempts and still finished with 380 passing yards, though he didn’t throw a touchdown. Against Auburn, he posted 388 passing yards and found the end zone three times.
The difference in the Alabama game came late, when the Tide’s pressure tightened and Leavitt was sacked twice on the same drive in the fourth quarter. Texas figures to bring that same kind of heat, and how he handles it will tell the story.
The bigger issue for LSU, though, was the offense as a whole. The Tigers didn’t just struggle because of one player or one bad stretch against Alabama.
The unit had trouble across the board, and that showed up most clearly in the moments that matter most: late-game possessions and fourth-down decisions. LSU went 0-for-4 on fourth-down conversions against the Crimson Tide, a brutal stat that cost the Tigers key drives and showed how quickly the offense can unravel under pressure.
Those failed tries were the most in Kiffin’s coaching career, and they underscored the kind of breakdown LSU has to avoid if this game turns into a tight one late.
Then there’s the other side of the ball, where LSU has to deal with Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Manning returns to his home state this season as a New Orleans native, and he brings a challenge that could shape the entire night.
LSU’s defense, led by Blake Baker, has already shown it can bother high-level quarterbacks. In Week 4 against Texas A&M, the Tigers held Marcel Reed to 106 passing yards and -13 rushing yards while sacking him four times.
Manning is a dual-threat quarterback who drives the passing game, so slowing him down is a different kind of test. For LSU, that matchup could end up being one of the biggest factors in whether the Tigers can get the win over Texas.
In Other News...
Texas Hits Unexpected Travel Snag Right Before LSU Showdown
Texas ran into an unexpected headache on the way to Baton Rouge, with the Longhorns among several college football teams caught up in a nationwide ground stop ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration on Nov. 13. The issue stemmed from air traffic control communications problems at facilities across the country, creating travel delays at the worst possible time for a team headed into a high-profile matchup with LSU.
For LSU fans, the immediate question is whether the disruption will linger long enough to affect the rhythm of the weekend. It is still unclear how long the delays will last or whether they will ripple into the scheduled games, but any travel snag this close to kickoff adds another layer of uncertainty to a meeting that already had plenty of attention on it. [Read more 🡒]
Ed Orgeron Shares Frightening Health Update Before LSUs Huge Night
Ed Orgerons latest health scare is a sobering reminder of how quickly things can turn, even for a coach who has spent years around the grind of college football. The former LSU head coach revealed that a leg infection escalated into life-threatening sepsis and sent him to intensive care for seven days, a frightening stretch that put his recovery far ahead of any football conversation.
For LSU fans, the timing lands in the middle of a big week, with the Tigers preparing for a marquee matchup against Texas and plenty of attention on the little things that can swing a game. Special teams and intangibles are part of the discussion, along with the usual round of weekly predictions, but Orgerons update adds a more personal, human note to the buildup around a program that still feels his imprint. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Pass Rusher Is Now At Center Of A Messy Ole Miss Fight
Princewill Umanmielens move to LSU has now spilled into a legal fight that reaches well beyond the transfer portal. The pass rusher is contesting a revenue-sharing contract he signed with Ole Miss for the 2026 season, saying he was under undue pressure from Rebels coaches before he left for Baton Rouge. Ole Miss, meanwhile, is pursuing him for $550,000 plus legal fees tied to the buyout, turning what looked like a straightforward transfer into a messy dispute over how binding these new-era agreements really are.
Umanmielens attorney is arguing the damages sought are unreasonable and that he may not have had the legal capacity to enter the contract in the first place. Ole Miss has also filed a similar suit against former Rebel Devin Harper, while LSU has taken the position that it is not on the hook for either buyout because it was not a party to the contracts. For LSU, the issue is less about the roster fit than the backdrop around one of its newest pass rushers, and it is still unclear how far this fight will go before it is sorted out. [Read more 🡒]