No. 11 LSU made quick work of McNeese on Saturday night, rolling to a 63-14 win at Tiger Stadium during Alumni Band and Family Weekend.
The Tigers spread the ball around and kept finding answers in bunches, building separation with a steady mix of offense and a few eye-catching moments. Running backs Dilin Jones, Harlem Berry and Stacy Gage Jr. all reached the end zone, Roman Mothershed added a touchdown of his own, and defensive lineman Deuce Geralds delivered the kind of score that turns a comfortable night into a memorable one for the home crowd.
LSU’s social updates showed the rhythm of the game as it unfolded: Jones opened the scoring with an early touchdown, Berry punched in another, and Gage added to the lead with yet another trip to the end zone. Geralds then capped the highlight reel with a big-man touchdown and a celebration to match.
By the time the Tigers were in control, the numbers reflected just how thoroughly they handled the Cowboys. LSU held McNeese to 31 total yards, and the Cowboys went 0-for-6 on third down.
The Tigers were already ahead after the first quarter, then took that lead into halftime and kept extending it from there on their way to the lopsided finish. Princewill’s sack counter reached 8, another sign of how well LSU controlled the game on both sides of the ball.
In the end, LSU got exactly what it needed: a dominant home win, plenty of production from the running backs, and a defensive performance that never let McNeese settle in.
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 🡒]