No. 10 LSU walked out of Lexington with a loss that felt as messy as it was costly, falling 35-34 in overtime to Kentucky on Saturday night. And the game offered a clear snapshot of where the Tigers are right now: one key injury concern eased, both lines struggled, and the margin for error disappeared fast.
The good news for LSU was that Sam Leavitt’s hamstring didn’t appear to be the issue it had been in Baton Rouge. Leavitt looked healthy enough to scramble effectively, and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. even leaned into that with several designed runs.
But any comfort there was undercut by what happened around him. Leavitt was under heavy pressure far too often, which helped lead to an interception and a fumble, and LSU kept stacking negative plays.
The bigger issue, though, was up front. Neither LSU line controlled its matchup, and that failure in the trenches loomed over the whole night.
That lack of control fed directly into the mistakes that sank the Tigers. LSU had enough explosive moments to stay in the fight, but the game was never clean.
Procedure penalties repeatedly pushed the offense into bad down-and-distance situations. On defense, LSU guessed wrong on a 77-yard run by CJ Baxter, overloading the wrong gap and opening the door for his second-play touchdown run.
Special teams also hurt, with Brock Coffman bringing back a punt for a touchdown. Leavitt’s interception didn’t immediately turn into Kentucky points, but it still wiped out a valuable LSU possession.
At 4-2 overall and 1-2 in SEC play, LSU’s path to the College Football Playoff is still alive, but only barely. The Tigers likely need to run the table from here, and the road is steep: Mississippi State, Alabama, Texas and Tennessee are still ahead, all ranked. That’s a demanding finish under any circumstances, and after the kind of costly errors LSU piled up against Kentucky, it looks like a long shot.
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Lane Kiffin's Daughter Just Gave LSU Fans An Awkward Texas Twist
Lane Kiffins family is already adding a little extra spice to LSUs looming matchup with Texas. Landry Kiffin, the daughter of the Tigers head coach, was headed to Dallas for the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma and showed up in Longhorns gear, then joked on social media that she was scouting the competition before LSUs game with Texas.
The timing makes it an easy topic around Baton Rouge, where the Tigers and Longhorns are set to meet Nov. 14 at Tiger Stadium. For LSU fans, it is the kind of small but combustible detail that turns a regular trip to a rivalry game into another reminder that the Texas prep work is already underway. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Freshman WR Is Forcing A Rethink Before Kentucky
LSUs receiver room already had plenty of moving parts before Corey Barber Jr. made himself harder to ignore. Under coach Lane Kiffin, the Tigers have brought in nine wide receivers through the transfer portal, and that kind of depth usually means every snap has to be earned. But the true freshmans standout showing against McNeese gave LSU something it could not fake in a crowded rotation: a young player forcing his way into the conversation.
Now the focus turns to Kentucky, where Barber and Kansas State transfer Jayce Brown are both in line to battle for playing time. Brown arrived with the kind of rsum that typically buys a longer look, but Barbers emergence has added a new wrinkle to how LSU may handle the position group going forward. For a team already sorting through a loaded receiver mix, the next game will say a lot about how quickly the freshmans rise can turn from a one-game spark into a real role. [Read more 🡒]
Ed Orgeron Just Took A Big Step In His LSU Return
Ed Orgerons return to LSU has taken another noticeable step, as the former Tigers head coach and current special assistant joined the football team on its road trip to Kentucky. It was his first trip with the program since a health issue in August kept him away, and it adds another layer to a reunion that has already had a real football purpose, with Orgeron involved in recruiting as LSU continues to lean on a familiar face.
Lane Kiffin confirmed Orgeron is back around the program and spoke about both his health and his presence with the Tigers. Even so, Orgeron is not expected to be on the sideline for the Kentucky game, leaving his return in a sort of middle ground for now: close enough to matter, not quite complete enough to answer every question about how this comeback will look moving forward. [Read more 🡒]