LSU walked out of its opener looking like a team built for bigger things, but the film still gave Lane Kiffin a few clear teaching points before Louisiana Tech comes to Baton Rouge.
The Tigers were sharp enough against Clemson to look like one of the most conference-play-ready teams in the country. Still, Week 2 offers a chance to clean up the rough edges that showed up in the first game, especially with Ole Miss looming next.
One of the first issues came immediately. LSU’s lone turnover happened on the second play of the game, after a clean first snap had already put the offense in rhythm.
On the next rep, Leavitt tried to work the other side of the field, but his throw was a little behind Malik Elzy, the 6-foot-2 receiver who transferred from Illinois. Elzy got both hands on it, but the ball popped up and landed in the hands of Clemson corner Ashton Hampton.
It ended up being the only turnover of the day, but it also reflected the kind of early growing pains that can show up when a team is working with a new scheme, a new quarterback and an entirely new wide receiver room. The kind of thing that only really gets cleaned up by playing more snaps at game speed.
Penalties were another area that needs tightening. LSU was flagged six times for 75 yards, and the mix was not ideal: three holding calls, plus one personal foul, one roughing the passer and one unsportsmanlike conduct. Those are the sorts of mistakes that point to discipline slipping for a moment, and they are the kind of calls that can swing a tighter SEC game.
Against Clemson, LSU could absorb them. That won’t always be the case once the schedule gets more demanding. Louisiana Tech gives the Tigers a week to correct it in practice and make sure the lesson sticks.
Kiffin also made it clear he does not want to hear excuses from backups when the second unit takes the field. That message came through late in the game, when LSU’s second-team defense gave up a touchdown with 3:21 remaining, turning a 51-3 lead into a 51-10 score.
The bigger problem on the play was the way Clemson running back David Eziomume pushed through multiple LSU defenders on his way to the end zone. Kiffin pointed to moments like that as the kind that matter, because those same players may have to be on the field in critical situations later in the season.
His point was simple: every snap counts, no matter the score. For LSU, Saturday is another chance to prove that the details match the talent.
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Even with that threat eased, the issue is hardly settled because the SEC has since signaled it could still pursue other discipline. The debate has also spilled beyond the courtroom and into the media, where Paul Finebaum and Stephen A. Smith have weighed in on whether the conferences response was justified or whether LSU was being singled out for pushing the boundaries in a way others might eventually try too. [Read more 🡒]