LSU Has One Thing It Needs to Clean Up Before the Schedule Gets Tougher

LSU's 51-10 rout of Clemson announced the Lane Kiffin era in the loudest possible way. Quarterback Sam Leavitt accounted for 343 yards of offense and three total touchdowns in his Tigers debut, and the LSU defense held the Tigers to just 10 points in Death Valley.

The lopsided score and overall smoothness masked a few rough edges, particularly in the passing game. Several drops by LSU receivers, including one on a play that turned into an interception, slowed an offense that otherwise looked dominant.

Those issues did not cost LSU against a Clemson team that struggled to move the ball all night. They likely won't matter much more starting this week, when Louisiana Tech visits Tiger Stadium. But this weekend gives LSU a chance to clean up before the schedule shifts into a difficult stretch of SEC play.

LSU opens SEC play Sept. 19 at Ole Miss, where Kiffin will face his former team for the first time since leaving Oxford for Baton Rouge. Texas A&M follows a week later, meaning the margin for error will shrink considerably from what LSU saw against Clemson in a short amount of time.

Cleaning Up the Drops

Sep 5, 2026; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin reacts to a play against Clemson Tigers during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

LSU's issue with dropped passes showed up early and did not fully go away. Leavitt was intercepted on just the second offensive play of the game, a turnover that came after a receiver failed to secure a catchable pass and set Clemson up in scoring position.

Clemson converted that opportunity into an early 3-0 lead, the only advantage the Tigers would hold all night. LSU answered with 31 unanswered points before halftime, but the shaky start with drops lingered as a theme throughout the game.

Leavitt finished 16 of 28 for 230 yards, a completion percentage that would have been higher with some better hands around him that night.

LSU's receiving corps is almost entirely new this season after a wave of offseason departures, and the lack of chemistry showed in moments when routes and catches did not sync up with Leavitt's timing.

Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. mixed run and pass calls effectively for most of the night, leaning on Leavitt's legs when the passing game bogged down. That approach worked against a Clemson defense that struggled to find answers, but it will not always be available against SEC competition built to stop the run first.

Louisiana Tech provides a lower-pressure setting to iron out the drops before facing Ole Miss and Texas A&M and the ensuing SEC schedule. A clean, mistake-free performance against the Bulldogs would go a long way toward building trust between Leavitt and his receivers heading into conference play.

Leavitt's Development

Sep 5, 2026; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin talks to quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against Clemson Tigers during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Leavitt's night began shakily, but he grew more comfortable as the game wore on. After throwing the early interception, he settled into a rhythm that mixed short, high-percentage throws with increasingly confident looks downfield.

The clearest sign of that growing trust came in the third quarter, when Leavitt hit transfer receiver Winston Watkins Jr. for a 32-yard touchdown down the left sideline. It was the kind of deep, decisive throw that had been largely absent earlier in the game.

Leavitt also showed off his rushing ability throughout the night, finishing with 113 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. That dual-threat dimension gave him a way to stay effective even in stretches when the passing game wasn't clicking, and it bought him time to find his footing as a passer.

By the time Kiffin pulled Leavitt with more than 10 minutes left in the game, the Arizona State transfer had shown enough progression to suggest the deep ball would be a bigger part of the offense going forward.

That's the one thing LSU needs to see from Leavitt, a continued effort to prove the passing game is as NFL-ready as his athleticism is.

That development matters heading into a conference schedule that gets considerably harder. If Leavitt keeps expanding his willingness to push the ball vertically, and LSU's receivers clean up the drops that plagued them against Clemson, the Tigers' offense could be ready for the tests the conference is going to bring.

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