LSU’s matchup with McNeese on Saturday night in Death Valley could end up being less about the scoreboard and more about the quarterbacks who take the field.
On the other side, the Cowboys will turn to Jake Strong after Devin Lippold was ruled out for the rest of the season with a right wrist injury. Strong started last week against East Texas A&M and went 17-of-27 for 202 yards and a touchdown, while also adding 34 yards on nine carries.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior from Justin, Texas, is a familiar name around college football circles because of his path at Texas Tech. He committed there in the 2023 class, played in three games and made one start against BYU.
That opportunity came after injuries pushed him up the depth chart, with Tyler Shough going down with a broken fibula and Behren Morton suffering a shoulder injury.
Strong’s road since then has been anything but straightforward. He was redshirted in 2024 and did not play in a game, then transferred to McNeese in 2025.
Last season, he started for the Cowboys and finished with more interceptions than touchdowns, throwing 11 TDs and 13 INTs. He opened this season as the starter against Stephen F.
Austin, but a shoulder injury late in the second quarter opened the door for Lippold. Lippold held the job until hurting his wrist against UT Rio Grande Valley.
What LSU will have to prepare for is a quarterback who can make plays with his legs as well as his arm. Strong is a dual-threat option, and his mobility is expected to be part of the offense.
As the full-time starter, he ranked third in the Southland Conference in total offense per game. The weather could also shape how McNeese calls the game.
For LSU, that means the pass rush has to stay disciplined, account for Strong when he breaks the pocket, and be ready for throws that end up in contested spots and can turn into turnovers.
The bigger LSU storyline is centered on who actually starts for the Tigers. Right now, Sam Leavitt is still listed as the starter.
He is coming off his best outing as a Tiger and the most accurate passing game of his career. Against the Aggies last Saturday night, he completed 74% of his passes in a performance that showed LSU could move the ball efficiently through the air.
That kind of game can change the feel of an offense quickly and give it some momentum for the stretch run.
But there was a price. Leavitt came out of that game with a left hamstring injury and kept playing until the result was secure.
He was not able to run, so he stayed in the pocket and delivered throws all over the field. This season, he has thrown for 1,044 yards with 5 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while completing 63.8% of his passes.
The hamstring issue is part of why there is still some uncertainty about whether he will start against McNeese.
Lane Kiffin said this week that he was considering resting players and had not decided yet whether Landen Clark would get the start. Clark is LSU’s No. 2 quarterback after transferring in from Elon University, and he has appeared in every game except Ole Miss.
In limited action, he has thrown for 109 yards on 7 completions in 15 attempts, a 46.7% completion rate. He also has 1 passing touchdown and 3 rushing touchdowns.
On the ground, Clark has carried it 16 times for 83 yards, with a long of 14.
Even if Clark gets the nod, LSU could still use Husan Longstreet as well. He is the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart, a young transfer from USC with plenty of athletic ability. Longstreet has not played quarterback for the Tigers this season, but he does field punts during warmups, and this game could be his chance to make his debut.
With LSU dealing with injuries and needing a chance to catch its breath before October, this game carries extra value. After McNeese, the Tigers go into a brutal seven-game SEC stretch to close the season, and five of those opponents are ranked.
In Other News...
LSU Suddenly Has Real QB Intrigue Before McNeese
LSU heads into Saturday nights game against McNeese with more uncertainty at quarterback than anyone expected this week. The Tigers are set for a 6:45 p.m. kickoff in Death Valley, but the main storyline isnt the matchup itself so much as who Lane Kiffin will put behind center after Sam Leavitts recent left hamstring injury opened the door for questions about the depth chart.
Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet have both entered the conversation, and Kiffin still has not made a decision on the starter. McNeese brings its own established signal-caller in Devin Lippold, a third-year quarterback with a steady season to this point, but for LSU the intrigue is all about whether the Tigers can navigate the week cleanly enough to get the right answer before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
LSU May Have Found A New Defensive Contributor Fans Should Watch
Jhase Thomas is starting to look like more than just a special teams piece for LSU. The defensive back saw his playing time rise against Texas A&M after spending most of his first season in that familiar off-to-the-side role, and his growth has been building quietly in the background as he settled into college football and worked his way toward a bigger defensive opportunity.
Thomas prepared for the expanded look by studying film and leaning on veteran teammates, while also drawing on the guidance of his father, former NFL defensive back Fred Thomas. For LSU, it is the kind of progression coaches like to see from a young recruit becoming a real contributor, and it gives the defense another name worth tracking as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Has A Few Emerging Tigers McNeese Couldnt Handle
LSU heads into its matchup with McNeese at 3-1, and the Tigers have started to see a few younger pieces flash in ways that can matter on a Saturday like this. Dilin Jones, Jackson Harris, Tamarcus Cooley and Davhon Keys have each shown enough lately to suggest they can tilt a game if their roles keep growing, which is exactly the kind of depth a team wants to lean on as the schedule moves along.
McNeese comes in at 2-3, and the numbers on both sides of the ball make this a useful measuring stick for LSUs emerging players. The question is not just whether the Tigers should control the game, but which of those developing contributors can turn recent progress into a bigger imprint when the matchup is there to be won. [Read more 🡒]