🏆 Kiffin’s First Night: LSU 51–10 — 644 Yards, a Lightning Delay, Clemson Buried

The delay was lightning. The game was not.

No. 11 LSU opened the Lane Kiffin era 51–10 over Clemson after a nearly two-hour weather hold. 644 yards. 102,321 in Tiger Stadium. Clemson’s worst loss in about 30 years. Halftime: 31–3, LSU 336 yards to 54, first downs 21–1. Kiffin, walking off a TV hit: “Imagine if we had pro players.”

Sam Leavitt, the Arizona State transfer, went 16-of-28 for 230 yards, one passing score, one pick, and 113 rushing with TDs of 8 and 13. Dillin Jones also ran for 113 and two scores — first time LSU had two 100-yard rushers since 2023. Jordan Ross returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown. Winston Watkins Jr. caught the 32-yard third-quarter score. Landen Clark hit Phillip Wright for 30 late to make it 51–3. Clemson’s only touchdown was David Eziomume from 11 with 3:21 left.

Christopher Vizzina: 10 completions, 83 yards. Clemson rushed for 40. Dabo Swinney: “Just really poor performance, not what we worked for or expected.” Next for LSU: Louisiana Tech, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. CT.

How it sits with the rest of Saturday

Ohio State 56–3. Alabama 48–10. Indiana 52–16. Miami 45–6 Friday. The one game that had a lawsuit attached finished as another blowout. That is the Week 1 sentence.

What this means for you

If you stayed up for a dogfight, you can sleep. If you needed to know whether the portal roster could snap, it snapped Clemson. One night is one night. 644 yards is not a rumor.

Bottom line: Kiffin’s debut was a 41-point home win. The legal docket is still there. The scoreboard is not a debate.

GLHR NEWS explains the news. Not investment, tax, or trading advice. Do your own work before you act.