Lane Kiffin has reason to feel good about LSU, but five weeks in, the real test is still ahead.
The Tigers are 4-1, scoring 43.6 points per game and giving up just 15.2. Their first-team defense has allowed only one second-half touchdown, and the offense has already piled up 19 rushing touchdowns - nearly double the 10 it managed across 13 games last season. That’s a sharp early return for a team that has mostly lived up to the hype.
“I feel really good about our team,” Kiffin said on Monday. “… We’ve had a lot of times where we’ve played as well as anybody in the country.”
The numbers back him up. LSU sits No. 10 in the AP Top 25 and No. 7 in SP+, ESPN’s predictive efficiency metric.
ESPN’s College Football Playoff Index also rates the Tigers’ defense as the nation’s best by efficiency. The only blemish on the record is a road loss to Ole Miss, a top-10 team.
That loss is also part of the bigger question hovering over LSU: how much have the Tigers really been tested?
Their most impressive wins came against Clemson and Texas A&M, but both programs have fallen short of their usual level through five weeks. Texas A&M lost at home to Kentucky, while Clemson has struggled offensively all season and was blown out at home by Miami last Saturday.
LSU’s other wins were expected blowouts over Louisiana Tech and McNeese State. In the one game against a quality opponent, the Tigers were down 17 at halftime and lost.
So far, the schedule has done some of the work for them, even as Kiffin has been outspoken about the SEC moving to a nine-game conference slate.
“Once you’re at nine, it’s another SEC game,” Kiffin said last Monday. “It feels like we’ve played a whole season already and we still have seven SEC games to go.”
Injuries are the one area where Kiffin hasn’t sounded nearly as upbeat. He’s been dealing with losses to star tight end Trey’Dez Green, star linebacker Whit Weeks and starting safety Dashawn Spears.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt’s hamstring injury has only added to the concern. Spears is done for the year with a torn ACL, while Green and Weeks could still return.
Kiffin said Monday that Green appears closer, noting that the pass-catcher is out of his brace and able to move his knee around after suffering a knee injury against Ole Miss.
“I think I feel really good apart from the injuries,” Kiffin said. “I hope you guys are figuring out I don’t make excuses; I just see how things are.”
The next three games should offer a little more clarity, even if they still won’t tell the full story. Kentucky, Mississippi State and Auburn are not playoff teams, but they are the next stretch in LSU’s seven-game SEC run.
Kentucky has two road SEC wins, though it was blown out by Alabama. Mississippi State was also overwhelmed by Alabama, but could be the toughest of the three thanks to star quarterback Kamario Taylor and a ranking in the polls.
Auburn may not even make a bowl game. LSU will host Mississippi State in Death Valley.
For the Tigers, winning all three is the expectation before the off-week on Halloween weekend. After that comes Alabama in Tiger Stadium, followed by Texas the next Saturday - the two games that may end up defining LSU’s playoff path.
“I feel great about the future. I know what that is,” Kiffin said.
“If we can put together this team in that short amount of time without any background with them. I know what next year and the year after will look like, but that has nothing to do with how this season is going.”
In Other News...
LSU Just Got Encouraging News At Two Crucial Positions
LSU got a welcome update on two important pieces of its roster, with coach Lane Kiffin saying tight end TreyDez Green and linebacker Whit Weeks are both expected to return at some point this season. Green, who has been working back from a knee injury suffered in September, is out of his brace and moving freely, while Weeks continues to recover from a fractured lower leg.
The Tigers have managed to keep winning with others stepping into those roles, but the eventual return of both players would still give the team a boost on each side of the ball. For now, LSU can at least feel better about the direction of two injuries that looked like they could linger much longer. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Got A Hopeful TreyDez Green Update Before SEC Play
LSU is heading into SEC play after a win over McNeese, and the conversation around the Tigers has quickly shifted from settling things down to getting ready for a tougher test against Kentucky. Lane Kiffin had plenty to say about the matchup and had praise for Wildcats coach Will Stein, while also using the week to take stock of where his own team stands after the opener.
The injury picture remains part of the backdrop, especially with quarterback Sam Leavitt dealing with a hamstring issue and the staff watching how that situation unfolds. Kiffin also offered a positive update on TreyDez Greens recovery, a development LSU will be happy to hear as it moves into conference play and continues to sort through the details of a game that figures to draw out more from the Tigers on both sides of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
LSU's Young Tigers May Have Forced Bigger SEC Roles
In a lopsided 63-14 win over McNeese, LSU got something more than an expected tune-up performance. Injuries among starters opened the door for younger players to see meaningful snaps, and several freshmen answered with the kind of production that can change the way a depth chart looks moving forward. On defense, Deuce Geralds, Zach Weeks and Jhase Thomas were among the young Tigers who made their presence felt.
Geralds stood out with a sack and a touchdown in the same game, while Corey Barber Jr. gave the offense a lift with 7 catches for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns as LSU piled up 731 total yards. Performances like those do not guarantee anything in the SEC, but they can force coaches to think differently about how quickly freshmen are ready for bigger roles when the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]