LSU head coach Lane Kiffin reacts in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

2026-09-06T05:10:30Z

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut was delayed, but by no means derailed.

Sam Leavitt complemented his 113 yards and two rushing touchdowns with 230 yards and a TD passing, edge rusher Jordan Ross returned an interception for a score, and No. 11 LSU rode the “Lane Train” to a resounding 51-10 victory over Clemson on Saturday night.

“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.

Kiffin has gotten commitments from two of his former Mississippi players — tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris — who spent part of this offseason with NFL teams. A Louisiana court ruling cleared the way for him to place them on his roster this week. But in the face of fervent opposition from the NCAA and SEC, he elected not to do so. At least, not yet.

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. 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 TDs rushing, gave LSU the lead for good with a 1-yard run that made it 10-3. Ross’ 30-yard interception return made it 17-3 before Leavitt’s frenetic scoring runs of 8 and 13 yards put LSU up by four TDs late in the second quarter.

Clemson’s offense struggled so much that coach Dabo Swinney subbed starting QB Christopher Vizzina out of the game in favor of freshman Tait Reynolds late in the second quarter.

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LSU pulled farther away when Leavitt found Ole Miss transfer Winston Watkins Jr. for a 32-yard TD down the left sidelined in the third quarter. Jones’ 12-yard TD 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.

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The takeaway

Clemson: Swinny could be in for a tough season. Clemson hasn’t taken a loss this bad since falling 41-0 to Syracuse in the 1996 Gator Bowl). A promising start to the game on defense belied how tough of a night it was going to be for Clemson, which briefly led 3-0 after cornerback Ashton Hampton intercepted Leavitt’s second pass of the game.

LSU: After ranking 126th nationally in rushing with 104 yards per game in 2025, LSU is benefitting from improved play by the offensive line, the addition of Jones and Leavitt’s legs. LSU rushed for 213 yards in the first half alone, more than in any game last season. Meanwhile, coordinator Blake Baker’s defense picked up where it left off, producing four sacks and a defensive score while holding Clemson to below 100 yards and without a TD until less than seven minutes remained fourth quarter.

Up next

Clemson: Hosts Georgia Southern on Sept. 12.

LSU: Hosts Louisiana Tech on Sept. 12.

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