LSU got the kind of night every banged-up team wants: no drama, no major injuries and a chance to shut things down early.
No. 11 LSU rolled past McNeese 63-14 on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, using a fast start and a huge night on offense to put the game away before halftime. The Tigers improved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play, while McNeese dropped to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in Southland Conference play.
The biggest question before kickoff centered on quarterback Sam Leavitt and the minor hamstring injury he picked up in last week’s win over Texas A&M. He answered that question by starting and, aside from one bad throw, turning in a clean outing that built on what he showed against Texas A&M.
Leavitt finished 18 of 23 for 176 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
LSU wasted no time separating itself. Dilin Jones opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run on the Tigers’ first drive, and he finished with 16 carries for 79 yards and a score. On the next possession, wide receiver-turned-tight end Roman Mothershed caught a 1-yard touchdown from Leavitt to make it 14-0.
Then freshman wideout Corey Barber Jr. took over as one of the first-half stars, grabbing two touchdown passes from Leavitt as LSU built a 35-0 lead by halftime. Barber led the Tigers in receiving with six catches for 76 yards and two scores.
While the offense kept piling up points, Blake Baker’s defense set the tone early. McNeese managed just 31 yards and no points in the first half before LSU emptied the bench.
The Cowboys did find the end zone twice against LSU reserves in the third quarter, but by then the game was long decided.
By the end of the night, McNeese had 196 total yards. LSU had 731.
That number landed the Tigers in rare company. LSU’s total was the second-most in school history, and the Tigers also set a school record with 101 offensive plays.
The ground game was just as overwhelming. LSU ran for 367 yards and had three backs near or over the 100-yard mark.
Harlem Berry paced the group with 15 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. Stacy Gage added 110 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, with scoring runs of 46 and 39 yards in the fourth quarter.
In all, LSU scored six rushing touchdowns.
Once the result was secure, LSU turned to its other quarterbacks. Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet both saw extended action behind Leavitt. Clark went 7 of 16 for 126 yards and added a rushing touchdown, while Longstreet completed 6 of 9 passes for 62 yards and ran for 32 more.
The defense also had room to rotate deep into the roster. Linebacker Tylen Singleton, defensive end Dylan Carpenter and linebacker Zach Weeks tied for the team lead with five tackles apiece.
For LSU, it was exactly the kind of night the schedule called for after a physical stretch: a comfortable win, valuable reps for the backups and another strong offensive showing without leaning on the starters late.
The Tigers go back to SEC play next Saturday with a trip to Lexington to face Kentucky.
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 🡒]