LSU spent the first half making sure there was no mystery about this one. By the break, the Tigers were up 35-0 on McNeese and had controlled the game on both sides of the ball.
The defense set the tone early. McNeese actually moved the ball some on its opening series, with Jake Strong doing a good job of slipping pressure and getting throws out. The Cowboys picked up a few first downs, but once LSU got them into a 3rd and 8, the pressure forced Strong into a hurried throw and Tamarcus Cooley stepped in front of it for his second interception of the year.
From there, LSU’s offense went to work with its usual pace, and the plan looked designed to get Sam Leavitt comfortable with shorter throws. The Tigers also leaned hard on Dilin Jones, who was doing damage every time he touched it.
He wasn’t just running through people - he was slipping tackles, changing direction and leaving defenders grasping at air. On one series, LSU even got younger receivers involved, including freshman Corey Barber Jr., who hauled in a sideline catch to keep a drive alive on fourth down.
The scoring started to come fast after that. Malik Elzy got on the field during the second drive, and Roman Mothershed caught his first pass as a Tiger for a touchdown to push the lead to 14-0. LSU had 1st and goal at the 1 and could have handed it to Jones, but instead went play-action and let Mothershed finish the job.
The Tigers weren’t treating the defensive side like a tune-up, either. The starters were flying around with the kind of energy you’d expect in a big conference game, and the pressure kept coming.
Princewill Umanmielen added sack No. 8 in just 4.5 games, while Deuce Gerlads picked up his fifth sack of the season in the second quarter. On one snap, Landen Clark - who also added his fourth rushing touchdown of the season on his first snap - showed off his speed and elusiveness at quarterback.
There were a few uneven moments on offense. Winnie Watkins dropped two touchdown passes on separate drives, and Zach Grace is still trying to find a rhythm as a pass-catcher with Trey’Dez Green out.
LSU has tried to make that connection work in every game since Green went down, but Grace and Leavitt just haven’t been on the same page. After one of those misses, tight end Malachi Thomas saw more snaps.
Leavitt’s interception near the end zone stood out because it looked like the first throw where his hamstring may have affected him. He has been throwing off his back leg - the healthy one - since the injury against Texas A&M, and he did it again here, but the ball didn’t have the same zip and hung long enough for McNeese’s safety to get in front of it.
Even with that blemish, Leavitt kept piling up production. He finished the half 18 of 23 for 176 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Jones had 16 carries for 79 yards and a score, while Berry added 10 carries for 89 yards. Barber Jr. made the most of his chances with four catches for 45 yards and two touchdowns, and Wilson III caught four passes for 58 yards.
The sideline energy was hard to miss, too. When Mothershed and Barber had their big moments, teammates like TJ Dottery, Ty Benefield and Princewill Umanmielen were among the first to celebrate with them. After Barber’s first touchdown, he was met by a wave of LSU starters on the sideline.
Leavitt came back in for the final scoring push before halftime after Landen Clark had entered for the last drive, and after a timeout with 1:02 left in the half and a 3rd and 6 coming up, No. 10 returned and hit Barber for another touchdown.
By the end of the half, LSU had 347 total yards, including 171 on the ground and 176 through the air, along with 18 first downs and a 5-for-8 mark on third down. McNeese was held to 31 total yards, including just 11 rushing and 20 passing, with two first downs and no conversions on third down.
The Tigers’ defensive numbers backed up what the eye test showed. Thomas finished with four tackles and a tackle for loss, Umanmielen had one tackle, one TFL and one sack, Geralds added one tackle, one TFL and one sack, and Cooley had one tackle and the interception. On the final defensive series of the half, LSU rotated in reserves including Lamar Brown, Richard Anderson and Zach Weeks.
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 🡒]