LSU football put on a clinical defensive performance against Clemson in a 51-10 victory to open the 2026 football season. Head coach Lane Kiffin's team allowed a first-quarter field goal but no other points until a fourth-quarter touchdown in garbage time. Kiffin said he was "very pleased" with the unit's showing.
"To go to a game that late in the game and the backups are in is the first time they crossed the 50 is really amazing by a lot of guys doing things really well and preparation, so it's important to have a first game like that is really, really important for a lot of reasons," Kiffin said at his Monday press conference.
One of those reasons, according to Kiffin, is to show investment pays off. The investment in paying to keep defensive
coordinator Blake Baker as well as sign top-rated transfers and keep the Tigers' biggest stars from last season paid dividends against Clemson.
Ole Miss transfers Princewill Umanmielen and TJ Dottery each made six tackles and combined for three tackles for loss. Tennessee transfer Jordan Ross earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after recording a pick-six along with four tackles, including two for loss. Whit Weeks, in his fourth year with the Tigers, tied for the team lead with six tackles.
LSU's entire secondary locked down Clemson's skill players, as the Tigers passed for only 105 yards throughout the game. The talent will continue to be tested, but Kiffin used the performance to commend the investment in the defense ahead of his first season at the helm and emphasize its broad importance to the program's future.
"It's critical for recruiting but it's critical for your own players when you have this many new players that haven't played with us to say, 'okay, it works. If we buy in, we do the preparation, we do all the things these coaches ask each week,' which is a lot of them," Kiffin said. "There's a big commitment here, so when they feel that on Saturday like I told them today, 'now you feel what it can feel like and you see what it can look like.' It just makes it that much easier for them to continue doing that."
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Lane Kiffin commends investment in LSU defense after Clemson win
