Business was straightforward in Tiger Stadium on Saturday.
No. 11 LSU wrapped up its nonconference schedule with a 63-14 rout of McNeese State, and the Tigers did it while piling up numbers that barely fit on the page.
LSU finished with 731 yards of offense, the second-most in program history and just short of the 746 it put up against Rice in 1977. The Tigers also set a school record with 101 offensive plays.
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, still working through a hamstring injury, played nearly an entire half and went 18 of 23 for 176 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He didn’t scramble, but he was sharp early, completing 13 of his first 15 throws. One of those early opportunities should have been even bigger when Winston Watkins got loose down the seam and dropped what would have been a touchdown.
That didn’t slow LSU for long. Leavitt guided back-to-back scoring drives right away.
The first covered 48 yards and ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Dilin Jones. The next went 77 yards and finished with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Leavitt to converted tight end Roman Mothershed.
Leavitt had another deep ball to Watkins on the next possession, and that one was dropped too. On the following throw, trying to push the ball to Eugene Wilson, he was picked off by McNeese defensive back Lorenzell Dubose.
McNeese never got much room to breathe after that. LSU edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen picked up his eighth sack of the season to force a three-and-out, and the Tigers scored touchdowns on their next five drives.
A lot of different LSU players got to make noise because the game turned into a blowout early. Freshman receiver Corey Barber, a four-star recruit, caught six passes for 76 yards in extended action and scored on touchdown grabs of 6 and 12 yards from Leavitt.
Harlem Berry also made the most of his chances. The sophomore running back, who has been behind Jones in the rotation this season, ran for 125 yards on 15 carries and added an 11-yard touchdown that pushed LSU ahead 49-0.
Then Stacey Gage took over late, breaking free for touchdown runs of 46 and 39 yards in the fourth quarter. Jones finished with 79 yards on 16 carries, and LSU rolled up 367 rushing yards overall.
The Tigers even gave freshman defensive tackle Deuce Geralds a turn at running back, and he made it count with a 1-yard direct-snap touchdown in the third quarter. Geralds also had his fifth sack in as many games.
LSU’s defense and special teams did let things slip late in the third quarter. The Tigers gave up a 28-yard punt return to their 43, and McNeese turned that into a 43-yard touchdown pass from Brady Barrier to Jamaal Levi. On the Cowboys’ next drive, Levi took an end-around 64 yards down the sideline for another score, giving him two touchdowns in 76 seconds.
Even with that stretch, the final numbers told the story of a game LSU controlled from the start. The Tigers outgained McNeese 731-196 and finished with a 37-6 edge in first downs.
The win also marked LSU’s highest point total since a 72-0 victory over Grambling on Sept. 9, 2023.
Now the Tigers move into the rest of their Southeastern Conference schedule, beginning in Lexington, Kentucky, against the Wildcats (4-1) after their overtime win over South Carolina. LSU will also face Mississippi State and Auburn before a bye week that could give star tight end Trey’Dez Green a chance to return. There’s also a slight chance linebacker Whit Weeks could be back after that break.
For now, LSU got the clean nonconference finish it wanted, and it appeared to come out of the game healthy enough for the stretch run.
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 🡒]