BATON ROUGE, La. -- It turns out LSU doesn't need any more NFL talent on its roster -- it's already oozing it, and it was on full display on a steamy Saturday night in the No. 11 Tigers' resounding 51-10 win against unranked Clemson.
The entire week leading up to the biggest game of Labor Day weekend was filled with speculation about whether first-year LSU coach Lane Kiffin would go against the newly implemented rules of the SEC and add two former NFL players who had been cut from professional rosters but were granted a fifth year of eligibility by a local judge. The university, its president, coach and athletic director were at the epicenter of controversy and a national debate on eligibility.
With scouts and personnel from 17 NFL teams watching, along with a raucous, damp, sellout crowd of 102,321 that waited through a two-hour weather delay, LSU put on a show with the players it already had. Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt, who injured a foot last year, looked like he did in 2024 when he led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Wisconsin transfer running back Dilin Jones resembled the downhill runner he was before he suffered a turf toe injury against Ohio State that ended his season. They combined to rush for four touchdowns and 226 yards.
Both players were complemented by an offensive line that pushed Clemson around and receivers who consistently blocked for them to take off for big gains. Kiffin infused his first LSU roster with 48 transfers -- the top portal class in the country, according to ESPN.com -- but the team played with a well-choreographed cohesiveness that resembled the familiarity of a veteran squad. Together they methodically dismantled Clemson with a rejuvenated running game, a more physical push up front on both sides, a smothering defense, and good old-fashioned execution of a well-called game plan. It all amounted to a 31-3 halftime lead.
Kiffin said afterward that he was glad LSU played well because it meant the narrative of his team being distracted by the eligibility lawsuits wouldn't be the story.
"Because I get it, even if we won close and ugly, the whole story would have been, 'Man, I screwed the team up by doing this,'" he said. "I've been criticized heavily the last two weeks and I get that, I understand that. But my job is not to please you and worry about what you're going to write. My job is what I believe is right, and I believe we were fighting for what was right for those kids.
"I'm not going to get into all the reasons, but that's what I believe. Maybe people don't like that, but they don't understand that."
LSU left former NFL players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris off its active roster but added former Notre Dame defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka, who was part of the same court case but had not signed with an NFL team. He had one tackle in the first half. Collectively, though, LSU's defense allowed Clemson just one first down in the first half -- its fewest in any half since Sept. 24, 2022, against New Mexico.
LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker was able to schematically confuse quarterback Christopher Vizzina, evidenced by a pick-six the first-year starter threw with 2:07 left in the first quarter. Six-foot-5, 246-pound defensive end Jordan Ross got into his throwing lane, snagged the ball and rumbled 30 yards for the touchdown.
And while Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris couldn't get his Tigers to sustain a drive, LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. mixed it up with tempo and playcalling. He was aggressive with short throws but also leaned into what appears to be a dependable running game sparked by Jones and a rebuilt offensive line. It was one of the most glaring differences from a year ago, when LSU averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and 104 yards per game. According to ESPN Research, LSU outgained Clemson by 125 yards rushing between the tackles -- all in the first half.
"The assistant coaches, that's a really good game plan they did through all of that," Kiffin said. "Charlie Weis does an amazing job. ... There's no better numbers, yardage, points, than anybody in the country. He did it again today and that's a big thing for me, because then when I do have to spend some time on this [eligibility] stuff that we debated, it's a lot easier when you don't have to call all the plays and run all the offensive meetings."
Leavitt said the eligibility lawsuits weren't a distraction this week in the locker room.
"With all the noise throughout the offseason, we really have done an incredible job of blocking it out," he said. "It's never even been a thought process in the building. It's not even like we've had to hush people. We come to work, we put our heads down, and we grind."
Not even a two-hour weather delay was a deterrent. In fact, Kiffin said it was "perfect" and he wanted it to last as long as possible.
Why?
"You're in your home locker room," he said. "You're used to this. That locker room sucks over there. And when you sit in there, the longer you sit in there, it's a real thing. So even when they said, 'Hey, you want to shorten the 90 minutes when we come back?' I'm like, 'No, leave it all there. We'.l go out at midnight.
"If you haven't figured out my competitiveness," he said, "in order to win I'm gonna go through all that other stuff with two players nationally -- I'm certainly gonna, if I think 90 minutes is gonna help us win the game, we're gonna sit in the locker room."
LSU took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter on an 89-yard drive during which nine of 12 plays were runs. Clemson couldn't win the line of scrimmage or run the ball -- a repeat of last year's loss to LSU.
"I feel like we can do it all," Jones said. "We can run the ball, QB can run the ball, we can pass the ball, receivers can run the ball. I feel like we can do everything."
Leavitt made some dicey throws early, including an early interception that set up Clemson's first field goal and a 3-0 lead, but that was a blip in an otherwise impressive performance. He ran and threw for over 100 yards each, and he scored both ways, too. His experience was a major difference in the quarterback matchup against Vizzina, who was making just his second career start.
"Anything I can do for the guys to get in that end zone," Leavitt said. "I'm going to take the plays when they come to me. Sometimes running lanes open up, depending on the pass concept. People get covered, or people get bumped up -- just trying to make a positive play."
LSU's defense took away Clemson's running game from the start, putting all the pressure on Vizzina. Clemson's offense was inept, with minus-4 rushing yards in the first half, 54 total yards and no third-down conversions on eight tries. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who enters this season facing pressure to turn around last year's embarrassing 7-6 finish, turned to true freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds. Neither quarterback had much success getting Clemson into LSU territory, let alone staying there long enough to score.
It was just after midnight on the East Coast when the third quarter had ended and enough fans had finally left Tiger Stadium that seats were visible again. Kiffin, one of the most polarizing coaches in the sport, is infamous for some of the statements he makes, but Saturday night, his team spoke volumes for him.
