LSU Beat Clemson, But Lane Kiffin Has Some Concerns That Can't Be Ignored

LSU did a lot right on Saturday, walloping Clemson 51-10 in Lane Kiffin's first game on the western sideline of Tiger Stadium.

Kiffin was very positive Saturday night in his post-game press conference, so much so that he admitted he was a lot more positive with the media than he was with his team.

LSU had 12 offensive drives in the game, scoring points on seven of those possessions.

It's obviously not perfect, but a 41-point win over a P4 school in Week 1 is something to be proud of, especially when other teams in the conference dipped into the FCS to find their first opponent.

But Kiffin wasn't caught up on that, and frankly LSU fans shouldn't be either. Kiffin was caught up on a couple of things his team - and the fans - need to focus on before Saturday's Louisiana Tech matchup.

The Readiness of Depth Players

Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin on sidelines during first half action against Tennessee in Neyland Stadium Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 in Knoxville, Tenn. Bama Saban And Kiffin 2016 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

On Saturday night, a few of LSU's older generations of fans saw something so reminiscent of the days when Nick Saban walked the halls of LSU's campus every day.

"I told them, ‘Hey, the backups on defense did not perform to our standard, and they let them go down and score,'" Kiffin said he told his team. "We turned the ball over early to give them the three points. There’s going to come games that those guys got to go into games... and they got to stop them to make a critical stop to win the game. So you can’t think differently."

It's the exact kind of speech Saban would give after big wins. It's the mindset of a coach who is never satisfied after one game; they know the season is more than how you play once.

"I spend a lot more time with them on that because now they’re going to walk out of there, everybody’s going to tell me how great they are, and you guys are going to move them way up in some rankings and all that off of one game," Kiffin said. "I’m sure that happened last year, and that don’t mean anything. They got to go back and work and improve each week.”

Kiffin took that message with him to his Louisiana Tech press conference on Monday.

“Don’t let the opponent dictate how you are," Kiffin said. "We challenge our players to do that, so the fans, too... Last week is over. It won't matter. Everything has to be the same as last Saturday."

But Kiffin's point wasn't proven in just telling the team that. he posted that message in the football building for all of his players to see this week.

“Get Over Yourself… You ain’t done Sh*t!”

-My mf’n coach @Lane_Kiffin #LSU #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/BcRNBzJslT
— 'Thee' Jeff Martin (@G5JeffMartin) September 7, 2026

The Offensive Line Needs to Continue to Grow

Lineman Devin Harper 70 LSU Football practice. August 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kiffin's take on Saturday night was - like previously stated - positive.

"We’re going to start to continue to improve," Kiffin said about the run game. "But the guys played well together, seemed to move well together. You didn’t have a lot of negative plays, which is really critical to not be behind the sticks. I thought those guys did well.”

But on Monday, Kiffin continued with caution.

"I think the offensive line - we can do some things better in there," Kiffin said on Monday. "We got beat a few times on a few things. When you have a really elusive quarterback and a really good running back, which we've had that combination for a while now, that makes up for some things."

The unit was making running lanes as well as good blocks throughout the night, but Kiffin raised a good point about how they played in his press conference on Monday. A point very consistent with his Saban-esque approach to coaching.

"We had over 300 yards rushing; we had no sacks," Kiffin said. "But at the same time, Sam (Leavitt) got us out of trouble a couple times. So you have to be careful with that stat and thinking, 'oh, we played great up there.'"

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