LSU’s Deuce Geralds keeps stacking firsts, and Week 5 gave the freshman defensive tackle a rare one.
No Tiger had ever logged a full sack and an offensive touchdown in the same game until Saturday, when Geralds did both in LSU’s 63-14 win over McNeese. He dragged quarterback Jake Strong down in the second quarter, then powered in for a 1-yard touchdown run in the third.
Lane Kiffin handed Geralds the goal-line carry partly for a little friendly mischief. The coach wanted to needle his friend Booger McFarland, the former LSU defensive lineman who once had half a sack and a receiving touchdown against Florida in 1995.
“I did just call Booger to confirm that,” Kiffin said, grinning, “and just say that now Deuce has the record. A full sack and a touchdown.”
That kind of moment fits the way Geralds has already carved out a major role. The freshman defensive tackle came into the game leading all FBS freshmen with four sacks, and he had played 19 more snaps than any other defensive tackle on the roster. He wasn’t LSU’s highest-rated signee in the 2026 class, but he has quickly become one of the team’s most important young pieces.
Geralds wasn’t the only Tiger getting after the quarterback. Princewill Umanmielen added another sack Saturday, and the two edge threats have now combined for 13 sacks this season. Umanmielen’s eight sacks lead all FBS defenders.
LSU has been setting up Geralds for those short-yardage carries since spring practice in April, and the 6-foot-1, 285-pound nose guard said the touchdown meant plenty to him because it came in Tiger Stadium.
“It was so great,” Geralds said. “It's been my dream to just be in Tiger Stadium, so scoring a touchdown in Tiger Stadium was unbelievable for me, and I'm just real thankful for it. I'm blessed for it.”
The sack chase is moving just as fast. Geralds is now three takedowns away from LSU’s freshman record of sacks, set by Harold Perkins in 2022. If he keeps producing at this pace, he could leave his first college season with that mark - and a little extra bragging right over McFarland, too.
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 🡒]