LSU overwhelms Clemson in Kiffin debut

01What Happened

No. 11 LSU opened Lane Kiffin’s tenure with a 51-10 demolition of Clemson on Saturday, Sept. 5, turning a major playoff matchup into an immediate boost for the Tigers and a serious setback for Clemson.

The game started nearly two hours late because of rain and lightning. LSU then ran 23 first-quarter plays for 140 yards, led 17-3 after one quarter and stretched the margin to 31-3 by halftime.

The result puts LSU’s playoff path on solid footing after a 7-6 season and leaves Clemson with little margin for error after its own 7-6 finish in 2025. Josh Pate’s preseason bracket had Clemson No. 3 and LSU No. 8 in the playoff field, making the opener a direct hit to his Clemson pick and an early boost for LSU’s case.

“Imagine if we had pro players,” Kiffin said.

02Why This One Matters

LSU finished with 644 yards, led by quarterback Sam Leavitt’s 230 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 113 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Dilin Jones added 113 rushing yards and two scores, while edge rusher Jordan Ross returned an interception 30 yards for another touchdown.

LSU’s first-quarter pace never allowed Clemson to settle. Leavitt attacked the edges with his legs, and his 8- and 13-yard touchdown runs pushed the lead to four touchdowns late in the second quarter. Clemson had managed only 54 yards and one first down by halftime, when LSU had 336 yards and 21 first downs.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney identified the central failure after the game.

“You’re not going to win if you can’t stop the run. We just did a really poor job of setting the edge, especially versus the quarterback run, which really killed us,” Swinney said.

03What Most People Are Missing

LSU produced the performance without Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, two former Mississippi players Kiffin had commitments from. A Louisiana court ruling cleared the way for LSU to add them, but Kiffin did not put either player on the roster for the Clemson game amid opposition from the NCAA and SEC.

Kiffin had spent the previous two weeks taking criticism over the decision. A close game would have kept that debate alive. A 41-point victory changed the immediate shape of it.

“If we would have won close or ugly, the whole story would have been I screwed the whole team up,” Kiffin said. “I have been criticized heavily the last two weeks, and I get it. But my job is to not please you and what you are going to write. My job is what I believe is right — and I believe we were fighting for what is right for those kids.”

The roster question remains unresolved, but LSU did not need either player to overwhelm Clemson. Leavitt controlled the game, the offense kept attacking and the defense turned a mistake into seven points.

04What the Coaches Can Actually Change

Clemson’s first problem is on the edge of its run defense. Swinney said the Tigers failed to set it, particularly against Leavitt, and the 113 rushing yards from LSU’s quarterback gave the offense another way to punish that mistake.

LSU’s next test is whether the same pace and quarterback-run threat travel beyond an opener in which the Tigers controlled every phase. LSU hosts Louisiana Tech on Sept. 12, while Clemson hosts Georgia Southern that night.

05The Pate State Read

One game cannot establish whether LSU has made a lasting jump under Kiffin or whether Clemson delivered an unusually poor performance. It can establish this much: LSU has a major résumé win, and Clemson has already used up much of its room for error in the playoff race.

The contrast was stark from the opening quarter. LSU’s offense produced 140 yards on 23 plays; Clemson never recovered from trying to defend that pace while also accounting for Leavitt as a runner.

Dilin Jones saw the same thing from inside the offense.

“Everyone saw what this offense is capable of — I mean, the quarterback we have, the offensive coordinator (Charlie Weis Jr.), the offensive line. We really felt like we could just go out there and execute,” Jones said.

06What to Watch Next

Clemson’s game against Georgia Southern on Sept. 12 will show whether the edge problem still appears against the quarterback run. LSU’s meeting with Louisiana Tech will show whether Leavitt remains central to the ground attack after accounting for three touchdowns against Clemson.

For Swinney, the first step is simpler: make sure the problem does not follow Clemson beyond the opener.

“The best thing about that game is it’s over,” Swinney said.