LSU got the kind of Saturday night it wanted: a stress-free blowout, no new injuries, and a reminder that the Tigers can pile up points in a hurry.
No. 11 LSU rolled past McNeese State 63-14 at Tiger Stadium, using a lopsided matchup to put on an offensive show.
The Tigers finished with 732 total yards, falling just 16 yards short of the school record of 746 set in a 77-0 win over Rice on Sept. 24, 1977.
The 63 points were LSU’s most since a 63-7 Citrus Bowl win over Purdue on Jan. 4, 2023. The Tigers also set a school record with 39 first downs, and that marked the second time new LSU coach Lane Kiffin’s team had broken that mark after posting 37 in the season-opening 51-10 win over Clemson.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt handled the first half after dealing with a hamstring injury all week, and he delivered efficiently. He went 18 of 23 for 176 yards and three touchdowns. True freshman Corey Barker Jr. led the passing game with seven catches for 83 yards and two scores.
LSU did plenty of damage on the ground, too. The Tigers ran for 367 yards on 53 carries and had two 100-yard rushers.
Harlem Berry picked up 125 yards on 15 attempts and scored once, while Stacy Gage churned out 110 yards on just six carries, averaging 18.3 yards per touch. Gage broke loose for touchdown runs of 46 and 39 yards in the fourth quarter.
Now the real test begins. LSU’s next seven games include five ranked opponents, starting Saturday at No. 24 Kentucky, which comes in off a 35-34 overtime win over South Carolina.
From there, the schedule tightens further. No.
16 Mississippi State visits on Oct. 17 after losing 56-23 to No. 7 Alabama.
LSU then heads to Auburn on Oct. 25 before an open date. After that comes the most demanding stretch of the season: No.
7 Alabama and No. 1 Texas at home on Nov. 7 and Nov. 14, followed by a trip to No.
21 Tennessee on Nov. 21.
Texas was idle Saturday, while Tennessee beat Auburn 24-14. LSU closes the regular season Nov. 28 at Arkansas, which lost 34-7 to Texas A&M.
The Tigers also expect to get starting tight end Trey’Dez Green back at some point soon. Green has been out since the Ole Miss game on Sept. 19 with a knee injury.
LSU still doesn’t have a quality win on the résumé after beating Clemson, Louisiana Tech, Texas A&M and McNeese State, but the Tigers continue to look sharp against lesser competition and showed Saturday that the depth across the roster is real.
McNeese State, now 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Southland Conference, did manage to cover the 52-point spread.
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 🡒]