LSU’s season has started to look a lot more like the one people expected.
After the overtime stumble against Kentucky put the Tigers on shaky ground, Lane Kiffin’s team has answered with back-to-back SEC wins, capped by a 38-17 road victory over Auburn on Saturday. The latest result wasn’t just a win - it was the kind of complete performance that suggests LSU may be finding its stride at the right time.
The offense, in particular, has gone from uneven to dangerous. Sam Leavitt turned in his best outing of the season against Auburn, piling up 387 passing yards and four total touchdowns while avoiding turnovers. Jackson Harris gave LSU another explosive element, finishing with 178 receiving yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers repeatedly carved up Auburn’s defense.
That surge comes on the heels of LSU’s 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State, and Saturday’s first half was even more eye-opening. The Tigers put up 31 points before intermission, burying Auburn early and flashing the kind of firepower that had been missing in the earlier part of the season.
The defense did its part, too. LSU registered seven sacks and kept steady pressure on Auburn’s offense all night, a big reason the game never tightened back up. When the Tigers are getting that kind of pressure up front and that kind of production through the air, they look a whole lot closer to the team they were supposed to be.
At 6-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play, LSU still has plenty left to sort out. The Kentucky loss still hangs there, and the road gets much harder with Alabama, Texas and Tennessee coming up.
But the Tigers have clearly changed the mood around the team in a short span. Leavitt is playing with confidence, the passing game is hitting big plays, and the defense is creating problems for opposing offenses.
Two strong wins don’t wipe away the early-season concerns. They do, however, give LSU something it badly needed.
Momentum.
In Other News...
LSU Heads Into Alabama Week With One Big Edge And One Concern
The bye week arrived at a useful moment for LSU, which now gets extra time to prepare before Alabama comes to Baton Rouge on Nov. 7. Oddsmakers have already nudged the Tigers into the favorites role, with LSU laying 3.5 points in a game carrying a total of 52.5, a sign that this matchup is already being viewed as a close one with plenty of points on the table.
The bigger question is how healthy LSU will be when the Tide arrive. The Tigers have spent much of the season managing injuries, and while some players are working their way back, others remain uncertain for the Alabama game. For a team with College Football Playoff ambitions, the margin for error is thin enough that the next two weeks may end up mattering as much as the rivalry itself. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Awaits Huge Recruiting Test As Tension Builds Around Will Wade
The next major recruiting swing for LSU basketball arrives Thursday, when five-star 2027 guard Reese Alston is expected to announce his commitment. LSU remains in the mix alongside Kentucky, Louisville, Tennessee and Wichita State, and landing a prospect of that caliber would be a significant lift for a program trying to stay in the conversation on the national recruiting trail.
Rafer Alstons public criticism of LSU coach Will Wade has only added to the intrigue around this recruitment, giving the Tigers a storyline that extends beyond the usual battle for an elite player. With the decision day approaching, LSU is waiting to see whether its pitch can overcome the noise and secure one of the classs most closely watched names. [Read more 🡒]
LSU-Alabama Just Lost One Edge Tiger Stadium Usually Counts On
For years, LSU-Alabama in Tiger Stadium has been a game that seemed built for the night, with the lights, the noise and the setting all adding to the weight of the rivalry. The Southeastern Conference changed that formula for Nov. 7, announcing a 2:30 p.m. kickoff and stripping away one of the familiar edges LSU has leaned on when Alabama comes to Baton Rouge.
Lane Kiffin did not miss the chance to needle the situation, joking that maybe there was a conspiracy behind the daytime start amid LSUs ongoing tensions with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey over the lawsuit involving former LSU players. However tongue-in-cheek the comment, the scheduling shift adds another wrinkle to a meeting that has so often been defined by atmosphere as much as football, and it leaves LSU without the kind of night-game setting that has often made this rivalry feel different on its home field. [Read more 🡒]