After weeks of controversy, Lane Kiffin got off to a dream start as LSU head coach on Saturday night as his ruthless Tigers dominated Clemson 51-10 in Baton Rouge.
The much-anticipated first game of the Kiffin era at LSU was delayed nearly two hours by lightning and did not include two NFL signees whose ongoing effort to return to college football has brought a lot of attention and no shortage of criticism.
Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris were left off the roster in advance of Saturday night’s game at Tiger Stadium, where heavy rain and loud, nearby lightning strikes cleared most of the seating areas – except for the ever-raucous student section.
But they certainly did not need them to beat Dabo Swinney’s helpless Clemson with quarterback Sam Leavitt complementing his 113 yards and two rushing touchdowns with 230 yards and a touchdown passing.
‘Imagine if we had pro players,’ Kiffin said lightheartedly at the end of a brief TV interview at halftime, by which time LSU led 31-3, had outgained Clemson 336 yards to 54, and had 21 first downs to Clemson’s one.
A sellout crowd at 102,000-seat Tiger Stadium was scattered by a downpour and a lightning delay that pushed kickoff back nearly two hours.
Lane Kiffin was all smiles as he watched his LSU team destroy Clemson on Saturday night
The Tigers were dominant on the ground and crushed Clemson with their running game
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt looked impressive and scored two rushing touchdowns
Still, Death Valley was packed when the game began – and fans didn’t have to watch more than one quarter to see Kiffin’s up-tempo offense live up to its reputation, running 23 plays for 140 yards.
LSU finished with 644 yards of offense while handing Clemson its worst loss in about 30 years.
Dilin Jones, a transfer from Wisconsin who finished with 113 yards and two touchdowns rushing, gave LSU the lead for good with a one-yard run that made it 10-3.
Edge rusher Jordan Ross’s 30-yard interception return made it 17-3 before Leavitt’s frenetic scoring runs of eight and 13 yards put LSU up by four touchdowns late in the second quarter.
Clemson’s offense struggled so much that Swinney subbed starting quarterback Christopher Vizzina out of the game in favor of freshman Tait Reynolds late in the second quarter.
LSU pulled farther away when Leavitt found Ole Miss transfer Winston Watkins Jr for a 32-yard touchdown down the left sideline in the third quarter. Jones’ 12-yard touchdown made it 44-3.
Leavitt given the rest of the night off after that, giving reserves Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet a chance to play.
The move to leave Wright and Harris off the roster avoided – or perhaps just delayed – a confrontation with the Southeastern Conference (SEC), which had passed a rule banning players who’d signed with NFL teams, only to see that rule put on hold by a court in Louisiana on Thursday night.
Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne accompanied Lane Kiffin as he arrived for his first LSU game
The former LSU gymnast is a regular feature at the school’s sporting events, even after leaving
Dunne posed for a selfie with Kiffin’s daughter, Landry, from their suite inside Tiger Stadium
Stand-up comedian Theo Von was also part of the group and posed for selfies with fans
Leaving Wright and Harris off the roster ‘wasn’t easy,’ Kiffin said earlier Saturday on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay.’
‘As much as I feel for the players, and I believe that you fight for what you believe in, and I believe these kids have an opportunity to play just like all the other kids around the country that are winning court cases and being put on rosters.
‘But at the same time, I’m the head coach of LSU, and I had to make a decision that is for the big picture of LSU and the LSU football program with the uncertainties of what potentially could have come by adding them to the roster,’ Kiffin added.
‘So with that, we made the decision which is in the best interest of the team and the university.’
Flanked by influencers including former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, who later posed with Kiffin’s daughter, Landry, model-actress Brooks Nader and podcaster Theo Von, Kiffin was able to lead his players on the ‘Tiger Walk’ down ‘Victory Hill’ and into Tiger Stadium before the rain started.
A crowd dozens deep along barricades boisterously chanted ‘L-S-U!, L-S-U!’ Others who wanted to get a glimpse of the coach stood on ramps leading up to the LSU’s nearby basketball stadium, the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Tiger Stadium was packed with about 102,000 fans when the game finally kicked off around 8:45 Central Time.
By the end of the first quarter, LSU fans were delighting in a 17-3 lead resulting from a largely one-sided opening period that had Kiffin punching the air triumphantly and appearing to yell, ‘Boom,’ after running back Dilin Jones’s short touchdown run.
Both Wright and Harris have said they are enrolled at LSU, which means they could be eligible to be added to the roster later.
LSU defensive lineman Jordan Ross scored a touchdown after intercepting a pass
It was a rough night for Dabo Swinney and his Clemson team in front of more than 100,000 fans
Legal action is ongoing, with the SEC planning an appeal of the Louisiana ruling and also awaiting word on a federal lawsuit it filed Thursday asking the court to force LSU into following its rules banning pro athletes.
The roster decision marked the latest move in a bizarre, wide-ranging disagreement over something most people used to agree on: that players who had moved on to pro sports from college could not return to college.
Under the rules the SEC passed last week that were subsequently shut down by the Louisiana court, the league could suspend Kiffin, fine LSU half its football budget and more if it puts Wright and Harris on the roster.
The case stems from a new National Collegiate Athletic Association rule that granted five seasons of eligibility for players who started college in 2023. Wright, Harris and dozens of others across the country who started in 2022 have filed lawsuits saying they also deserve a fifth year of eligibility.
Embedded within that argument is whether players among that class who tried out for NFL, NBA or WNBA teams should be able to come back to college and play.
‘The SEC’s presidents and chancellors unanimously adopted a clear and reasonable standard: Member universities should not place former professional athletes on their rosters,’ the conference said in a statement after Thursday night´s loss in Louisiana court.
In its own statement Friday, LSU said it was reviewing the court’s order and would ‘continue to work constructively with the SEC and NCAA as this matter moves forward.’
