LSU’s second and final tune-up of the 2026 season comes Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, with McNeese State set to kick off at 6:45 p.m. on the SEC Network. And the LSU beat team sees a game that should be controlled, even if the weather and the Tigers’ injury situation keep it from turning into a full-blown blowout.
Scott Rabalais has LSU winning 41-10, but he says that number already bakes in a few caveats. He expects the game to be wet, which would mean Sam Leavitt plays little or not at all at quarterback. He also thinks Lane Kiffin will ask Charlie Weis to lean on the run and keep the game moving, calling it “victory with extreme caution.”
Jon Blau is even more bullish on the scoreboard, picking LSU 48-10. He notes that the Tigers could do even more damage, but says it’s unclear how long Lane Kiffin will keep his starters on the field after getting “freaked out” by the injuries against Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
Blau expects Landen Clark to handle the quarterback job in Leavitt’s place, while also wondering how the second- and third-string offensive line and LSU’s defensive backups will hold up. Even so, he points out that McNeese is still a 2-3 FCS squad.
Koki Riley sees LSU putting up 52 points in a 52-13 win, and he’s especially interested in what Landen Clark can show. Riley says Clark has the mobility and arm strength to be a starter in the SEC, though his accuracy and ability to read the game remain questions because of his lack of experience. With Leavitt dealing with a hamstring injury, Riley expects Clark to play every snap.
Reed Darcey has the most conservative LSU score of the group, with the Tigers winning 45-3. He believes LSU should rest Sam Leavitt entirely and avoid pushing the sore hamstring in a game the Tigers can win comfortably with Clark at quarterback.
Darcey also wants to see LSU lean heavily on the run, give Harlem Berry extra work, and use the chance to get a look at freshmen while getting through what should be a wet, rainy night without another major injury. He adds that the rest of October looks tougher than expected.
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 🡒]