LSU got real production from a few key players in Saturday night’s matchup with Ole Miss, but it also got exposed in a few spots that made the difference. The Tigers found enough offense to hang around, and a couple of defensive adjustments helped them stabilize, but the night still came with some hard lessons.
Dilin Jones was the clearest bright spot on offense. LSU had just 117 yards in the first half, yet the Wisconsin transfer still powered out 44 rushing yards and scored the Tigers’ only points of the half on a touchdown with a little more than two minutes left before halftime.
That run mattered even more because Jones churned out 35 of those 44 yards on that drive alone. He kept rolling after the break, adding 62 more yards to finish with 106 on the night for his second 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Like he did against Clemson, he created yards on his own, making defenders miss and pushing through contact. Of his 106 rushing yards, 57 came after contact, which made this his most impressive performance of the season.
Winnie Watkins delivered a much smaller stat line, but his touchdown catch carried serious weight. His three catches went for 54 yards and a score, and the touchdown cut the game to 24-21 at a moment when LSU had grabbed the momentum early in the second half.
After forcing a Trinidad Chambliss interception and then an Ole Miss punt, the Tigers moved the ball with a big Trey’Dez Green catch, then stalled after a Jones run and a false start on Jordan Seaton. Sam Leavitt missed Jackson Harris in the end zone on one shot, but LSU stayed aggressive on third-and-13 and came back with the same route to Watkins.
Leavitt put it in the right place, and Watkins made a terrific catch to quiet the crowd.
On defense, Jhase Thomas emerged as one of the night’s biggest developments. The Tigers were already dealing with one of the game’s unfortunate injuries when Dashawn Spears went down, leaving Blake Baker to rely on CJ Jimcoily in the STAR role.
That move didn’t hold up, and Baker eventually shifted Tamarcus Cooley into STAR while inserting Thomas at safety. Thomas responded by flying around the field and helping spark the defensive turnaround that gave LSU’s offense a chance to climb back into the game.
He finished with a 78.6 grade, the best on the team, and after all the buzz around him during fall camp, he may have found his long-term spot.
Sam Leavitt’s night, by contrast, was uneven from start to finish. He looked rushed early, then settled in late in the first half once Charlie Weis Jr. started leaning on quicker throws.
The second half brought a better version of Leavitt, closer to the one LSU saw against Clemson, with more movement and better downfield vision. But the fourth quarter turned messy again.
On the final drive, he tucked the ball too soon on first-and-goal and missed a wide-open Harris in the end zone. Two plays later, his feet got sloppy, and he threw a bad miss to Zach Grace, who was standing uncovered in the end zone.
The bottom line was simple: Leavitt has to be better. He would say that, Lane Kiffin has said it, and everyone knows it.
He needs to slow the game down, clean up his mechanics, and trust the people around him.
Bo Bordelon had a night he would rather forget. His first two games were already shaky, but this one was much worse.
He posted a 41.3 overall Pro Football Focus grade and a brutal 14.8 pass-blocking grade. The senior was beaten all night, and the pressure up the middle clearly affected Leavitt.
Kiffin has said the staff is looking at options on the offensive line, and as tough as that is for Bordelon after spending his whole career as a Tiger chasing this chance, it may be time for someone else to get a turn at left guard.
PJ Woodland also had a rough outing. That’s notable because he usually wouldn’t be in this kind of section.
He entered the season as LSU’s top corner after following #6 overall pick Mansoor Delane and then earned more playing time than Ashton Stamps after a breakout sophomore year. Woodland had been solid against Clemson and good against LA Tech, but Ole Miss targeted him seven times on Saturday after he had been targeted only twice entering Week 3.
He allowed four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown, and he missed two tackles as Chambliss went after him repeatedly in the first half. He should bounce back, because the talent is clearly there.
LSU is going to need him to settle in as a true lockdown corner with Ryan Coleman-Williams and Cam Coleman still ahead on the schedule.
In Other News...
LSU's Offense Just Raised A Bigger Sam Leavitt Concern
LSUs offense took a needed step forward on the ground against Ole Miss, piling up 172 rushing yards and getting a strong day from Dilin Jones, who ran for 106 of them. Even with that improvement, the passing game still left plenty to sort through, and the overall balance of the offense did not fully erase the concerns that have hovered around Sam Leavitt since the start of the stretch.
Leavitt finished 16 of 27 for 158 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while adding 63 rushing yards and another score on the ground. Lane Kiffin pointed to missed chances through the air, said some of the issues were tied to Leavitt missing practice, and stressed that the offense has to protect better and execute cleaner moving forward, which makes the next step for the passing game an important one for LSU. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Turns LSU Loss Into Bigger SEC Scheduling Frustration
Lane Kiffin spent part of his first SEC teleconference back in the LSU spotlight talking less about the loss itself and more about the setting around it. After Ole Miss beat LSU in Oxford in Week 3, Kiffin pointed to the fact that the game was played there for the second straight year, framing it as more than just an inconvenience for the Tigers and more like a scheduling issue with real competitive weight.
For LSU, the complaint lands in a familiar place because Oxford has long been one of the leagues tougher road environments, and Kiffin noted the home-field edge and crowd noise as factors that hurt his team. The bigger frustration now is not just what happened in the game, but how the setup kept LSU in the same uncomfortable spot twice in a row, leaving the scheduling conversation hanging over an otherwise straightforward result. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Gets A Telling Warning From Mike Elko Before SEC Showdown
With LSU heading into another SEC test, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko offered a useful scouting lens on what his defense expects to see when the Tigers line up across from them. Elko pointed to LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt as a competitive, physical presence, the kind of player who can shape a game by staying tough through contact and keeping plays alive.
Elko also touched on how little direct exposure he has had to Lane Kiffins offense, even while making clear he respects what Kiffin has built over the years. For LSU, that combination matters because it frames this matchup as more than a simple talent check. It is also a chess match against a coach who likes what he sees from the Tigers quarterback and knows enough about Kiffin to understand how much discipline this game could demand. [Read more 🡒]