LSU pummels Clemson: Lane Kiffin era starts with statement win as Sam Leavitt shines in Tiger debut

A week of off-field drama ended less dramatically inside LSU's Death Valley -- at least for LSU.

Lane Kiffin's Tigers jumped out to a four-touchdown lead before halftime, quarterback Sam Leavitt ran wild, and the defense forced Clemson's quarterbacks to scurry in the shadows of LSU's 51-10 victory. It's the worst loss in the Dabo Swinney era and the worst for Clemson since 2000.

Kiffin's debut as LSU's head coach came after the school opted not to add ex-NFL players Zxavian Harris and Dae'Quan Wright to the roster amid threats of punishment from the SEC, despite a local judge clearing the players to suit up for the Bayou Bengals on Thursday. Always the trolling jokester, Kiffin glanced at the scoreboard, saw the 31-3 lead at halftime and told ESPN's Holly Rowe: "Imagine if we had pro players."

Pro players or not, LSU was clearly destined to dominate Clemson. The visiting Tigers couldn't match LSU's speed, and the offensive line certainly could not stop their size, as linebacker blitzes kept them on their heels all night. Clemson's rushing total sat as low as minus-10 yards midway through the third quarter and was 0 in the fourth quarter.

How Clemson responds will be critical, of course, but the Tigers have been here before. Two years ago they lost by 31 points to Georgia in the season opener and rebounded to win the ACC Championship. Still, this does feel a bit different. For one, LSU is not ranked as highly as that Georgia team, and Clemson never seemed to have a pulse in Death Valley.

Clemson also must decide what to do at quarterback. Stick with freshman Tait Reynolds or go back to Christopher Vizzina? Neither did anything special at LSU. The offensive line was a swinging gate all night, too, which might be more concerning. Meanwhile, the hope to rekindle some of that early 2010s magic by rehiring Chad Morris as offensive coordinator seems to have been a whiff. Morris hasn't done much of anything in his career since he was the head coach at SMU nearly a decade ago. He stubbed his toe at Arkansas and then lasted only one year at Auburn.

Meanwhile, LSU's expectations will only skyrocket after Kiffin's stunning debut, his fourth straight season scoring 40 points in a season opener. A laugher against Louisiana Tech awaits next week before Ole Miss welcomes Kiffin back to Oxford for a stirring showdown on Sept. 19. The first half of the schedule doesn't appear all that tough after Saturday's performance. Only two ranked opponents are on the docket between now and Nov. 7, when the Bayou Bengals host Alabama.

The Lane Train could be rolling into November undefeated, with only one road test -- Ole Miss -- before November.

Clemson could be searching for answers every Saturday this season.

Late 4Q: LSU 51, Clemson 10

Clemson finally scored a touchdown on running back David Eziomume's 11-yard run. He also broke a tackle against LSU's backup.

LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker wasn't happy with that broken tackle. 

Late 4Q: LSU 51, Clemson 3

LSU's backups have continued the beatdown of Clemson. Quarterback Landon Clark led a six-play, 45-yard drive to grab a 51-3 lead. Clark's 30-yard pass on a short throw to Phillip Wright III capped the short drive.

LSU is only seven yards away from hitting 600 tonight. There are 6 minutes and 38 seconds remaining in the game.

End 3Q: LSU 44, Clemson 3

LSU is outgaining Clemson 507-73. The score is 44-3. We're all just waiting for the clock to hit zero at this point.

Clemson enters the final quarter with 0 rushing yards compared to LSU's 277. The visiting Tigers have played two quarterbacks, and neither has eclipsed 51 yards. 

LSU has 29 first downs, including 10 in the first quarter, and Clemson has only four.

At this point, It's an embarrassment of riches for the Bayou Bengals. Clemson just needs to get to the bus, and then the plane, and get home.

Late 3Q: LSU 44, Clemson 3

Dillin Jones is doing his best to make sure he unseats quarterback Sam Leavitt as LSU's top rusher. His second touchdown of the game, a 12-yarder, stretches the lead to 45-3 with 3:24 remaining in the third quarter.

Jones has tied Leavitt for the team rushing lead with 113 yards, though he's needed 11 more carries (23) to tie the quarterback.

By the way, Lane Kiffin opted to try a 2-point conversion after that touchdown. It failed. Interesting.

This is downright embarrassing for Clemson.

LSU has 478 yards, including 248 rushing, compared to Clemson's 72. The visiting Tigers are still In the negative on the ground at minus-1 yard.

Mid 3Q: LSU 38, Clemson 3

The beatdown will continue until the clock hits zero. Quarterback Sam Leavitt threw a beautiful 32-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Winston Watkins Jr. to extend the lead to 38-3 with 8:21 remaining in the third quarter.

Clemson hasn't done much of anything in the second half so far and sits at minus-10 yards rushing for the game. At this point, it's only about saving face. Even so, that might not matter for Dabo Swinney. The Clemson coach is sure to hear from fans about his future when he returns to Clemson.

Things are going extremely well for LSU. The Tigers enter the second half ahead 31-3, and yet their new coach, Lane Kiffin, has jokes.

LSU opted not to add ex-NFL players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to the roster for the opener one day after a judge granted an Injunction for them to play in tonight's game against Clemson.

Halftime: LSU 31, Clemson 3

Clemson can't do anything offensively, LSU ran for an insane 213 yards in the first half and grabbed a 31-3 lead, but Lane Kiffin believes the Bayou Bengals should have done more.

Kiffin told ESPN's Holly Rowe, heading into the locker room, that his Tigers should be ahead 38-0 instead of 31-3 because of Sam Leavitt's Interception on the second play of the game. 

"We've got to play better in the second half," Kiffin said at halftime on the ABC broadcast.

As for Leavitt, Kiffin loved what he saw In the Arizona State transfer's LSU debut. He's 9 of 19 for 123 yards with one Interception, but he's excelling on the ground, rushing for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 carries.

"I really like how he's taking care of the football. ... The defense is the story right now, playing really well," Kiffin said at halftime.

Then he hit a zinger as he walked away: "Imagine If we had pro players."

Meanwhile, it appears Clemson has benched quarterback Christopher Vizzina in favor of freshman Tait Reynolds. He played the last offensive possession for the Tigers, going 1 of 2 for 7 yards and was sacked for a 6-yard loss.

"I mean, we gotta get something going. We've really been poor on offense," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said about the switch.

Will Reynolds play in the second half? "Probably so," Swinney said.

LSU outgained Clemson 336-54 with minus-4 rushing yards by the visiting Tigers.

Late 2Q: LSU 31, Clemson 3

Clemson can't stop LSU's offense, which has done most of its damage on the ground. Sam Leavitt just took the rushing lead on a 13-yard scramble and side dive into the end zone to give LSU a 31-3 lead with 1:10 remaining in the first half.

Leavitt has 11 carries for 100 yards and a pair of scores.

Meanwhile, Clemson's offense is lost somewhere in the bayou. The visiting Tigers have only 53 yards of offense, including minus-2 rushing.

Clemson is now sending freshman Tait Reynolds on the field at quarterback to replace Christopher Vizzina.

This game appears to be over before halftime. 

LSU has out-gained Clemson 281-53 with 2:31 remaining in the game. LSU's number could hit 300 yards by halftime.

Clemson has 2 rushing yards.

Mid 2Q: LSU 24, Clemson 3

Sam Leavitt used his feet to keep an LSU drive alive, and then he capped it with a score on an 8-yard scramble to stretch LSU's lead to 24-3 against Clemson.

Sam Leavitt scrambled 18 yards on second down to make it first-and-goal at the 9-yard line, and two plays later, he scrambled again to score.

Leavitt has carried the ball seven times for 61 yards and is now LSU's second-leading rusher behind Dilon Jones, who has 81 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Leavitt's touchdown capped a nine-play, 72-yard drive.

Kicker Scott Starzyk pushed a 48-yard field goal to the right with 12:15 remaining in the first half. The score remains LSU 17, Clemson 3.

LSU Is out-gaining Clemson 176-40.

END 1Q: LSU 17, Clemson 3

LSU's offense is on track to be great under Lane Kiffin, but that defense might be the story of the night. Clemson managed only 40 yards, and Christopher Vizzina was picked off for a touchdown in the first quarter as LSU stormed out to a 17-3 lead.

The Bayou Bengals swarmed the football, sending linebackers on blitzes at least four times in the opening quarter. Linebacker Whit Weeks, as you would expect, was among the most active players on the field. He had two tackles for loss, including a stop of Vizzina.

Clemson has minus-3 rushing yards and only one first down on offense. LSU has 140 yards total with 10 first downs. Yes, 10 (!) first downs in only one quarter.

Is this one already over?

Late 1Q: LSU 17, Clemson 3

Christopher Vizzina has been shaky, save for one pass -- and his latest pass was an absolute disaster. LSu crossed him up on a linebacker blitz, and Jordan Ross stepped up in front of a crossing receiver for an easy Interception, which he returned 30 yards for a touchdown.

Dath Valley has turned into Deaf Valley. The fans are going nuts, as they should, as the Bayou Bengals take an early 14-point lead.

Clemson has only 35 yards of offense, including 2 on the ground.

Late 1Q: LSU 10, Clemson 3

LSU had answers for Clemson on its third offensive possession. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. once again mixed things up on a 12-play, 89-yard drive. LSU ran for 54 yards on nine runs, with a mix of Dilin Jones, Stacy Gage and quarterback Sam Leavitt.

Jones capped the scoring drive with a 1-yard run, which was preceded by a 5-yard run and a facemask penalty on Clemson. Jones had 51 yards on six runs on the drive.

Early 1Q: Clemson 3, LSU 3

LSU stalled after a 10-play drive, and Scott Starzyk hit a 49-yard field goal to tie Clemson with 10:16 remaining in the first quarter.

So far, a pair of 49-yarders has us back to where we began the game: tied.

LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. did a pretty good job mixing up play calls, running the ball five times and throwing it four. Sam Leavitt Is 2 of 5 passing for 29 yards with the interception on the second play of the game.

Clemson's defensive line was active on the passing downs, and Champ Thompson managed to get a hand in the air to slap away Leavitt's third-down pass to force the field goal on fourth-and-7.

Early 1Q: Clemson 3, LSU 0

Clemson mostly went backwards on offense after picking off LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, but Nolan Hauser booted a 49-yard field goal to give the visiting Tigers an early 3-0 lead.

Gideon Davidson picked up the only positive yardage on the four-play drive: a 4-yard run.

Clemson's Ashton Hampton picked off a bobbled ball by Malik Elzy near the first-down marker. Sam Leavitt's second pass was a disaster. Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen is going nuts on the sideline.

Clemson gets the ball at LSU's 28-yard line.

At 9:41 p.m. ET, Clemson kicked off to LSU following a weather delay of more than 2 hours, 20 minutes.

According to the ABC broadcast, Dabo Swinney made sure Clemson got its full 90-minute warmup when discussing the weather delay with officials. Perhaps Swinney is very serious about stretching and preventing soft-tissue injuries (who isn't?), but that demand also has a whiff of gamesmanship. If the game doesn't kick off until roughly 9 p.m. local time, maybe Clemson can tamp down LSU's home field advantage.

That's not a bad idea -- and it may work at most other stadiums in the country -- but it may be impossible to neuter the Tiger Stadium crowd on the night of Lane Kiffin's debut. I mean, these are the same people that out in the stands and had a grand old time during a lighting delay.

Dabo Swinney has hinted he could play two quarterbacks against LSU. He reaffirmed that tonight before kickoff, telling ESPN that he is "not guaranteeing" Tait Reynolds will play, but that it's "likely."

Christopher Vizzina won the job late in August. He completed 63.4% of his passes last season, mostly as a backup. He threw four touchdowns against one Interception. 

Reynolds was rated a three-star quarterback in the class of 2026, ranking 31st at his position, according to 247Sports.

Clemson and LSU are expected to begin warming up on the field at 8:10 p.m. ET, according to the ESPN broadcast. Kickoff would occur 90 minutes late, which would be around 9:40 p.m. ET.

So, when I look at the current rosters, LSU's is quite a bit better than Clemson's. Of course, there are a lot of new parts to the LSU roster, so it's possible there will be an adjustment period, and Clemson makes this game far closer than I expect. On the other side of that, though, is that LSU spent a whole lotta money to bring Lane Kiffin and this roster to Baton Rouge, and something tells me they will want to make a statement Saturday night when the whole world will be watching. If LSU has a chance to run it up, it will. We don't need them to, though. A convincing win will do. The Pick: LSU -10

The Six Pack: Picks for LSU vs. Clemson, Ole Miss vs. Louisville and Tom Fornelli's lock for Week 1

Tom Fornelli

Perhaps you've heard, but there's been quite a bit going on around LSU over the last nine months or so. It turns out the soap opera about hiring Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss when the Rebels were in the midst of a playoff run didn't end as soon as the Kiffin hire became official. That's the thing about hiring Lane Kiffin: the distractions are never temporary. Once one fades from the spotlight, a new one emerges from the dark.

Week 1 Anxiety Rankings: Is distracted LSU ready to play an actual football game? Ole Miss on upset alert

Tom Fornelli

The looming threat of SEC penalties has slowed LSU's plan to roster former NFL players Xzavian Harris and Dae'Quan Wright. After a legal victory cleared the way for LSU to add Harris and Wright, the team chose not to do so ahead of its season opener against Clemson, and Lane Kiffin said lingering uncertainty was the reason why.

Lane Kiffin says 'uncertainties' prevented LSU from rostering ex-NFL players in Week 1 vs. Clemson

Austin Nivison

The lightning In the Baton Rouge area has delayed kickoff. A new kick time has not been scheduled. The original kickoff was scheduled for 7:49 p.m. ET.

LSU is under a lightning delay, which has affected pregame warmups. Everyone on the field has been asked to return to the locker room because of lightning in the area. 

No word yet on whether kickoff will be affected. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:49 p.m. ET.

LSU has the more talented roster, but with so many new moving parts and a Clemson team also adjusting to a new offense with a new coordinator, starting quarterback and several offensive linemen, don't expect a high-scoring game. Both defenses should slow it down enough to keep this game in the 20s. Pick: Under 50

Leave it to Lane Kiffin to show up for his first game at LSU with an entourage. The first-year LSU coach was flanked by comedian and podcaster Theo Vonn, former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne and actress Brooks Nader.

All five starters from last season are gone along the offensive front. But is that really bad news? The OL, despite being a veteran group, ranked 82nd in pressure rate allowed last year. This new group includes a pair that started in the bowl game, but the fresh-car smell still lingers.