The LSU Tigers started off the Lane Kiffin era with a bang with a huge statement victory over the Clemson Tigers as Dabo Swinney received his most lopsided loss of his career by a final score of 51-10. A tumultuous week filled with a lot of outside noise regarding getting former college players on the roster and then a two-hour lightning delay could not derail Kiffin’s debut as everything went right for the Bayou Bengals. Here are five of the biggest takeaways in why this win could catapult LSU into being an immediate championship contender.
1. The LSU Swagger Is Back!
Tiger Stadium at night was a place that has been feared by opponents as an almost impossible place to win. Former LSU head coach Les Miles said it best that it is a place where opponents’ dreams come to die. From the Tiger Walk to the final whistle, the LSU crowd brought the entire energy. That’s always expected from LSU fans, but the physicality, speed, and confidence that once was at LSU in the 2000’s and of course, the 2019 season, has returned to the program. When LSU started becoming a contender, it was their running game and strong defense that has always stood out. That old school feel that was once a nightmare for opposing teams showed up last night as LSU outgained 309 yards to 40 on the ground. Being able to run the football and be a stingy, confident defense has been a stable for LSU and to pair that with an aggressive offensive minded coach like Lane Kiffin, there is no question that LSU has regained its swagger.
“I felt like I was back at Mardi Gras. It was pretty awesome. It was pretty electric. I actually felt bad that there were so many people. Most of the people were so far away they couldn’t really get close to the players.
But it was awesome. I think the whole day was really neat, with how electric the campus was from what people said. That’s what LSU is supposed to be. That’s why we’re here.”
“I’m not making huge statements after one game, but I’m just saying that’s the LSU swagger. That’s the energy. That’s how the stadium is supposed to be—hard to come in and play in, especially for an offense and quarterback.”
LSU Head Coach Lane Kiffin
2. Sam Leavitt’s Escapability Gives Offense Extra Dimension.
Coming in as a transfer quarterback from Arizona State, Sam Leavitt was known to be an athletic dual threat quarterback, but he surprised a lot of people last night especially coming off a season ending knee injury how dynamic he really is with his legs. Time after time, Leavitt made Clemson’s defense look absolutely silly by making multiple guys miss juking and running around. Leavitt looked like another former Arizona State turned LSU dual threat quarterback in Jayden Daniels making plays with his arm and his legs. After a slow start in which he threw an early interception on the second play of the game, Leavitt bounced back by accounting for 343 total yards of offense (230 passing, 143 rushing) and three total touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 passing). What was Leavitt’s most impressive quality is his ability to make plays off script or when the offense is out of rhythm. That extra dimension makes it even tougher for defenses to contain.
“It’s great when your quarterback can move around. The game is played out of rhythm a lot. The game isn’t in rhythm all the time for a quarterback.”
“One of the biggest things is: How do quarterbacks play when it’s out of rhythm? You don’t block everybody right, or a receiver gets covered. Sam plays really well in those situations. If you look at his analytics, he has been really good out of rhythm—when he gets outside the pocket and moves around. He showed that today.”
LSU Head Coach Lane Kiffin on Sam Leavitt
3. The LSU Defense Is Elite.
LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker has totally revamped this defense to once again being one of the most feared in college football. From start to finish, the Clemson Tigers simply did not have any answers for LSU’s defense. Until some of the reserves entered the game, LSU only gave up three first downs. Clemson finished with only 145 total yards of offense and were only 1 of 13 in third down conversions. Not only the physicality from the defense stands out, but the overall speed was too overwhelming for Clemson.
The pass rush was there the entire night as the defense posted four sacks and numerous quarterback pressures. The defense also set the tone for the entire game as after an early interception from it offense, Baker’s group did not flinch an inch and gave up only three points. The play of the night also came from the defensive side of the football when defensive end Jordan Ross had a 30-yard interception for a touchdown to help turn what was a 10-3 ball game at the time and really turn it into a blowout.
All offseason long, Lane Kiffin has praised the defense and has really spoken about them first before the offense, which is saying a lot about his confidence in that group. With plenty of talent all over the field, it is scary how elite this defense can really be.
“I feel like we are just getting started, to be honest. Defense is looking alright; we have some mistakes to clean up, especially me, but defensive coordinator Coach Baker and Coach Sterling Lucas did a pretty good job coaching and I feel like we just got to execute more.”
LSU DE Jordan Ross
4. LSU Has Found Its Running Game.
One of the biggest questions entering this game is how much LSU can improve on its running game, which was a disaster a season ago, finishing 126th in the country with 104 per game. LSU’s offensive performance was phenomenal with 644 total yards and a school record 38 first downs, but it was the running game that set the tone for this offensive onslaught. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss Jr. showed why he is one of the best play callers in the country getting the offense in rhythm with tempo while incorporating both the run and the pass. Altogether, the running game had 309 yards rushing highlighted by Leavitt and Wisconsin transfer Dilin Jones. Jones looked every bit of an every down back for Kiffin and Weiss’ offense rushing for 113 yards and two touchdowns. The rebuilt offensive line featuring two transfers in Jordan Seaton and Aliou Bah along with veterans Braelin Moore, Bo Bordelon, and Weston Davis had a solid game as they did a great job of creating a push in the running game and not having many negative plays. Now there will be tougher defensive fronts that LSU will face this season, but it already looks like the running game will be a drastic improvement.
“The guys played well together. They seemed to move well together. We didn’t have a lot of negative plays, which is critical, so you don’t get behind the sticks. Those guys did well.”
LSU Head Coach Lane Kiffin on offensive line play
5. LSU Showed Great Focus In Blocking Out The Outside Noise.
A lengthy weather delay, an early interception and a week filled with off-field controversy could have disrupted LSU. Instead, the Tigers responded to Clemson’s opening field goal by scoring 51 consecutive points.
The crowd also remained energized despite the nearly two-hour delay, giving LSU the hostile home-field advantage Kiffin envisioned when he accepted the job.
Still, LSU was not flawless. The opening turnover handed Clemson three points, and the reserve defense surrendered a late touchdown. Kiffin immediately emphasized those mistakes after the game, warning that backups could eventually be needed to make a critical stop.
That response was important. LSU celebrated a statement victory, but its head coach made sure one dominant performance did not become “rat poison” something that we have heard from his former boss Nick Saban. The result was an outstanding beginning not a finished product and the most important part about this is that the team realizes it as well.
“I haven’t seen any of those storylines, but I’ll tell you, this team is not distracted at all. We come to work every single day, unlike any team that I’ve been a part of so far in my career and I love that about this team.”
LSU LB Whit Weeks
“With all the noise throughout the offseason, we really have done an incredible job of just blocking it out. It’s never even been a thought process; we haven’t even had to hush people. We come to work, we put our heads down, and we grind. That’s all we do; we just keep grinding. We haven’t had success yet, so we’re going to learn how to bounce back from that. Put our heads down and figure out things to get better at.”
LSU QB Sam Leavitt
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