The Good, The Bad and The Ugly vs. Clemson

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Week 1 is now in the books for the LSU Tigers, and with a dominant 51-10 win against a Power Four opponent, some may say there was not much bad and even less ugly. But they would be wrong.

The Good

There were several things that were good, and some even surpassed good on Saturday night.

First, the environment.

Death Valley was in its purest form against Clemson. It has been a long time since fans have seen Tiger Stadium truly come back to life, and the effect it had on Clemson and its offense was exactly what everyone wanted to see.

Caroline Soro, a reporter for FOX Carolina who was at the game, told me, “Wild atmosphere! Never seen that many people in one spot.”

The challenge from Clemson fans over which Tiger Stadium is the “Real” Death Valley may have ended because of what the environment was like on Saturday night.

Next should be considered great because that’s exactly how they performed: Defensive Coordinator Blake Baker and his defense.

The standard for an LSU Tiger defense was resurrected on Saturday night. The way the defense played and the way it was prepared and coached by Blake Baker was exactly what everyone who knows and loves LSU wanted and expected to see. And they did not disappoint.

LSU gave up an early field goal after an opening-drive interception set Clemson up in field-goal range, but after that, Clemson would not cross the 50-yard line again until the fourth quarter. Through three and a half quarters, LSU held Clemson’s offense to zero third-down conversions.

LSU had more tackles for loss (11) than Clemson had first downs (8).

The defense was relentless. Clemson couldn’t run the ball, saw no success throwing the ball and could not get into a rhythm at all.

LSU made Clemson’s two quarterbacks very uncomfortable, generating four sacks, 22 pressures, three QB hits and 15 hurries. They could not stay comfortable in the pocket.

Not to mention the variety with which the pressure was generated. Baker would drop edge rushers into coverage and send the two middle linebackers on a rush. He would also incorporate stunts into those pressures, further confusing the offensive line.

We could go on and on about the defense and how it played on Saturday, but the standard has been set. It was great to see an LSU defense once again play the way it used to.

The other good that should probably be considered great was the offensive running game.

LSU has not had a running game this dominant since Ty Davis-Price could not be stopped against Florida in 2021. LSU ran the ball 58 times for 309 yards.

This offense was able to produce two 100-yard rushers, and the last time that happened was in 2023 with Logan Diggs and Jayden Daniels. That was matched again on Saturday with quarterback Sam Leavitt and running back Dilin Jones.

The college football world heard the buzz about Jones all offseason, and Saturday night he showed exactly why he became the No. 1 running back in this offense.

Also, an honorable mention here goes to the play-calling from Charlie Weis Jr. It is so good to have him in Baton Rouge. The diversity of the running attack this team showed on Saturday night displayed a level of creativity you will not find in many offenses around the country.

Another good was quarterback Sam Leavitt.

He had his struggles early getting into a rhythm, but once the nerves settled down, he was able to be the Sam Leavitt everyone was expecting to see returning from injury.

Leavitt was the No. 1 quarterback in the portal for a reason, and Saturday night showed it.

There were some throws and plays that he left on the field, including a poorly thrown ball on the opening drive that resulted in an interception. But overall, Leavitt showed that he has the talent and ability to lead this team toward accomplishing its goals.

The Bad

The offense sputtered a little bit on Saturday night, especially in the passing game.

There were several missed throws, batted passes at the line of scrimmage and dropped passes by the receivers. It just seemed like the passing game was not on time or in sync for those involved.

This is not something to be overly concerned about because there was so much new on the field in the very first game, and it should improve throughout the season. In fact, the passing game improved throughout Saturday night’s game.

The Ugly

This is just nitpicking here, but it’s also something to keep an eye on.

For as dominant as the running game was, the run blocking did not live up to the same standard based on what was seen in the game and reflected in the PFF grades.

When looking at the run-blocking grades, Bo Bordelon and Jordan Seaton finished near the top. Bordelon was actually the best run blocker on the team based on this metric, finishing with a 68.3 run-blocking grade.

But Weston Davis was the lowest-graded starter, finishing with a 55.5. This was an area Davis struggled with last season as well.

Even with that grade, the offensive line was able to block well enough for LSU to have the success it did on the ground.

Davis’ pass-blocking grade was better, as he finished with a 61.2, but he was still the second-lowest graded starter in pass blocking, just ahead of Bo Bordelon. Bordelon finished with a dismal 37.7 pass-blocking grade.

This will be an area to pay attention to as the season progresses. With this offensive scheme and the coaches LSU has, these numbers should improve.

Braelin Moore was the team’s best overall pass blocker with a grade of 84.3, which was the highest on the team.

LSU will be back on the field Saturday against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m.

What stood out to you the most on Saturday night? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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