LSU’s passing game has already given the Tigers something to lean on. Saturday against McNeese State offers a different kind of test: can they get the run game moving in the right direction before SEC play ramps back up?
That’s the opening Lane Kiffin and LSU have in front of them. After a 35-6 win over Texas A&M in which Sam Leavitt threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns, and Jackson Harris and Winston Watkins Jr. each cleared 100 receiving yards, the Tigers have real momentum through the air.
The passing attack looks like a strength. The ground game still needs work.
LSU has shown what it can be on the ground. In the season opener against Clemson, the Tigers piled up 309 rushing yards on 58 carries, with Leavitt and Dilin Jones both finishing at 113 yards. It was the first time since 2023 that LSU had two 100-yard rushers in the same game, and it pointed to an offense with a higher ceiling than the one that has shown up more often since.
Jones remains a key piece. He ran for 106 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries against Ole Miss, and he arrives at the McNeese game with a defined place in the offense after transferring from Wisconsin. In 2025 with the Badgers, he rushed for 300 yards and two touchdowns on 76 carries in seven starts.
But LSU’s backfield has more than one answer. Harlem Berry and Caden Durham came into the season as one of the more interesting running back pairings on the roster. Berry ran for 491 yards on 104 carries as a freshman in 2025, while Durham led LSU with 753 rushing yards as a freshman before adding 505 yards as a sophomore.
That’s why Saturday matters, even if McNeese won’t match the level of competition LSU is about to face again. The Tigers can use the game to sort out which backs should be getting the bulk of the work, identify which run concepts are actually clicking and let the offensive line find some rhythm in the run game.
And that matters because the schedule tightens fast. After McNeese, LSU travels to Kentucky on Oct. 10 before facing Mississippi State, Auburn, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas later in the season.
So this isn’t just about collecting another win. It’s about making sure LSU heads into that stretch with a clearer offensive identity.
The Tigers already know they can move the ball through the air. What they need now is a rushing attack that shows up with enough consistency to be trusted, not something that has to be pieced together week after week.
That leaves Kiffin with one of the more interesting decisions of the night: how to handle the running back rotation. Jones has already shown he can take on a heavy workload.
Berry has made the most of his chances. Durham brings experience from two seasons in the LSU offense.
There’s no need to answer every question at once. But there is value in giving those players meaningful snaps and using the opportunity to get the run game ready for what comes next.
LSU does not need to run for 300 yards every Saturday. It just needs to become more dependable on the ground and figure out which players and concepts it trusts when SEC defenses start forcing every yard.
McNeese gives the Tigers a chance to work toward that.
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 🡒]