Much like the season opener against Clemson, it was a challenge to narrow down the list of Tigers to just three players. On the flip side, games like this mean that one mistake can land a player on the Cubs list. It’s a good problem to have, because it means things went well.
LSU needed a bounce back following the disappointing 4th quarter at Ole Miss after they had clawed back in to the game. With a 35-6 dominating victory of Texas A&M, they got it.
Tigers
Jackson Harris
After three weeks of Lane Kiffin
and Charlie Weis Jr. trying to get Harris more involved in the passing game, it finally clicked. Coming off of a rough outing against Ole Miss, the Hawaii transfer broke out and looked like a star. He finished with 6 receptions for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns. It looked like he had a third, but it was called back due to William Satterwhite II getting called for illegal man down field. The first of his two scores was most impressive. He was in 1-on-1 coverage down the sideline and Leavitt put his trust in his receiver by throwing deep and he was rewarded. The coverage was actually pretty good, so Harris had to drop down to make the catch as he was going to the ground.
Following the injury to Trey’Dez Green, LSU badly needed someone to step up and be a reliable target behind Winnie Watkins and Eugene Wilson III. Harris answered the call and it became clear why they had been trying so hard to get him involved. After leading the country in yards per catch in 2025, he came in to the Texas A&M game near the top with a 23.4 YPC average, which is very high. Still, he somehow managed to raise that average with his 27.2 YPC on Saturday night.
It’s no surprise that Harris finished as the highest grades starter on either side of the ball, per Pro Football Focus. His grade of 92.0 is ELITE.
Tamarcus Cooley
For the second year in a row, it seems as if Cooley flies under the radar when folks talk about the playmakers on the defense. Last year, it was behind Mansoor Delane, AJ Haulcy, Whit Weeks (when healthy), and even Harold Perkins Jr. This year, it’s behind Ty Benefield, Whit Weeks, TJ Dottery, Princewill Umanmielen, and Deuce Gerlads. Every player that I listed is 100% deserving of the praise they receive, but Tamarcus Cooley deserves more than he gets.
He was phenomenal on Saturday night. While he only finished with 3 tackles, it was everything else. The safety had a sack, a tackle for loss, and an interception. Benefield had to move to STAR following the unfortunate injury to Dashawn Spears last week, which leaves the top of the defense slightly compromised due to his raw skill. The junior stepped up and proved that they’ll be just fine.
With a PFF grade of 87.7, including an 88.8 coverage grade, Cooley finished as the top defensive performer.
Sam Leavitt
After a week of ridiculous chatter from some folks pondering whether or not Kiffin should consider making a quarterback change, Leavitt showed up and balled out. Most impressively, he did so with a hamstring injury. During the 2nd quarter, he came up gimpy after a long scramble. It was clear that something was bothering him, but we did not find out what it was until the pressers after the game. While it’s impressive to stay in the game at QB with an injury like that, it was even more impressive that he made it through the rest period at halftime.
After the game, Kiffin joked that the injury may have actually helped Leavitt. Since he couldn’t run, he had no choice but to hang in the pocket, trust his protection, and process his reads. He did all of those things to perfection, finishing the game 17-23 for 312 yards with 2 touchdowns. The only blemish was an interception, but that came off of a missed block that allowed the defender to get his hand on the ball and cause it to flutter well-short of the intended target. His 22 yards rushing were by far his season low, but like Lane said, it may end up being a blessing going forward.
Leavitt finished behind only his receiver that was catching his touchdowns with the second best PFF grade of 91.1, including a 92.7 passing grade. He was remarkable and any talks of benching him for Landen Clark should be put to rest.
Cubs
Jayce Brown
It has been quite surprising how little Brown has been used early in the season. He was one of the stars of the receiving core in both spring and fall camp, but has been very quiet early on. Although he was on the field for a few snaps in the first three quarters, he finally got on to the field more consistently towards the end. On what was the final offensive drive for the Tigers, Landen Clark put a ball right in Brown’s numbers in the endzone, but he dropped it. That’s not ideal when you’re fighting for playing time.
Also, earlier in the game on the play where Leavitt slid too early, Brown was split out to that side and had the chance to spring his quarterback for a big game, but failed to execute. Leavitt was forced to slide and LSU ended up having to punt. Being able to block on the perimeter as a wide receiver is almost a necessity in Kiffin’s offense, so it’s possible that could be part of the reason he isn’t seeing more time. He finished with a PFF grade of 45.9, the lowest of any offensive player.
Scott Starzyk
After a phenomenal fall camp, there was reason to feel really good about LSU’s kicking game. Starzyk was an All-SEC freshman at Arkansas a year ago, so he’s proved his ability in-game, as well. He missed a 48-yard field goal against Clemson, and although you’d love to have your kicker make that, it was long enough to look past it.
Then, on Saturday night, he missed a 24-yard chip shot and that’s flat out unacceptable. Kiffin said afterwards that Starzyk tried to guide it, instead of driving the ball like normal. Whatever it was, he’s going to have to be more reliable for closer games.
William Satterwhite II
This is a tough one, considering the situation that Satterwhite was put in. Making his first start of the season at left guard, it could be expected to be imperfect. Still, LSU is going to need more out of him, especially if he remains in as a replacement for Bo Borderlon. It was a struggle for Borderlon through the first three games, so it was not surprising to see Lane Kiffin and Eric Wolford pull the trigger. Satterwhite finished with an overall PFF grade of 52.3, but it was his 46.7 pass blocking grade that’s concerning. Pass blocking is supposed to be where he offers an upgrade over Bordelon. He’s not as good at run blocking, which is why we saw Bordelon rotate in during short yardage and obvious run situations. Satterwhite also committed two penalties, which were the only two on the offensive line all game. Whether it’s one of those two or a third option, the play at LG has to improve.
