All offseason, the LSU Tigers were the talk of the college football world, and after being at the head of controversy, it was finally time to put aside the conversations and let the program do the talking on the field.
For the first game of the Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge, the Tigers welcomed the first-ranked opponent for a season opener since 1988 , and all eyes were on them, as they dominated from the very beginning of the matchup.
Cruising to a 51-10 victory, the Tigers move to 1-0 on the year and send a warning message to the college football world that the Tigers might just be back now.
LSU Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) has a pass blocked by Clemson Tigers linebacker Jeremiah Alexander (7) during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Tigers had plenty of questions to answer heading into the season, with many of them focusing on the offensive run by Kiffin. At first, it looked worrisome, with the Tigers throwing an interception, but the defense would hold strong and keep them to a field goal, and the Tigers would be the first team to trail in the game, 3-0.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt and the offense would respond, putting up 17 points unanswered in the first quarter and accumulating 140 yards through the first 15 minutes of the game. Just as fast as Clemson took a 3-0 lead, Kiffin and his team responded, threatening to turn the game into a blowout.
That was exactly what happened, though, as the Tigers would score 14 more points on 196 yards in the half, taking a 31-3 lead into halftime.
For as much as the offense silenced doubts, the same thing happened on defense, where they held Clemson to 54 yards in the first half, including negative four rushing yards, forcing six punts in the half, and coming up with two sacks.
It was all Tigers heading into the last 30 minutes of the game.
LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin reacts to a touchdown by quarterback Sam Leavitt (not pictured) against Clemson Tigers during the first half at Tiger Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Tigers needed to avoid being caught comfortable with the lead, keeping their foot on the gas and perhaps sending a message to the college football world that the Kiffin era is here, and it means great things in Baton Rouge.
That was exactly what the offense did, scoring two more touchdowns, but failing a two-point conversion to put up 13 points, while racking up 171 yards of offense. The defense continued to roll as well, holding Clemson to 19 yards, while adding two more sacks and forcing three punts in the third quarter.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Kiffin would turn to his backups to finish the game, and while the offense continued to put it on, adding another touchdown, Clemson would finally get a touchdown as well with just over three minutes to go.
That touchdown would be a drop in the bucket, though, and the Tigers would close out the rest of the game, putting an emphatic capstone on the first win of the Kiffin era, as the offense would finish with over 600 total yards, while the defense would allow less than 150.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/lsu as LSU Dominates Clemson for Emphatic First Win of the Lane Kiffin Era .
