I don’t know about y’all, but I’m still buzzing after last night’s win.
This is the type of win that makes me dangerously optimistic for the rest of this season. LSU went on the road, beat what very likely will end up being a conference champion, and it felt like they were the better team all night long. Clemson might end up being the best team LSU faces all season long, and LSU took care of business. Does that mean they’re going to go 12-0, win the SEC, and run through the playoff? No, but if they can
beat Clemson at Clemson, then there’s not a single game left on the schedule that LSU can’t win.
0: Second half points scored by Clemson
Pretty self-explanatory, no? Clemson came into Saturday with the most returning production in college football, an experienced quarterback, a veteran offensive line and all that jazz, and they didn’t threaten the LSU defense. Take away the Bauer Sharp fumble, and Clemson really only had one successful drive all night long.
This is the type of LSU defense we grew up with. 10 points, 261 yards of offense, and 31 yards rushing. I have to check my calendar because it says it’s 2025, but those numbers make me think it’s more like 2003. There’s obviously a long way to go this season, and the defense probably will have a clunker or two at some point down the road, but this is what it’s supposed to look like at LSU.
31: LSU rushing attempts
I might be in the minority here, but I’m going to give Joe Sloan credit. He was committed to running the ball. It would have been easy to just lean on Garrett Nussmeier, line up with five wide and try to throw it all over the yard, but LSU insisted on keeping things balanced. They didn’t land a knockout punch with the ground game, but they kept issuing those little jabs all night long.
LSU ended the night 31 for 108, but if you take away the 12 yards lost on the lone Garrett Nussmeier sack, it was really 30 for 120. That’ll play. Caden Durham got 17 carries, they used Zavion Thomas out of the backfield, and they even—gasp—let Nussmeier sneak it a couple of times. They weren’t doing these things last year, and if this is the approach they’ll take from now on, it’s a welcome change.
63: Zavion Thomas’ all-purpose yardage
I really liked how they used Thomas last night! He only got four total touches, but he popped each time he got his number called. Keep in mind, the 16-yard completion he was credited with doesn’t count toward his total, so that’s about 80 yards of offense he was responsible for. Thomas is a weapon, and I hope they keep using him.
20:33: LSU’s second half time of possession
How do you beat a top-four team on the road? You make sure they don’t have the ball, and LSU controlled the clock in the second half. Clemson was 2-7 on third down and 0-2 on fourth down in the second half. When they had to have it, they whiffed.
5: Harold Perkins tackles
Playing in his first game since tearing his ACL, Perkins looked like 2022 Perkins: five tackles, a sack, 1.5 TFLs, and two hurries. He looks comfortable playing at the STAR, and the ceiling of the defense is raised several levels if this is the guy we’re getting in 2025.
1-0: LSU’s record
That was LSU’s goal coming into Saturday night, and that’s going to be the goal each and every week. Let’s do it again next week.
