"Sam Leavitt Experience Is Going to Cost LSU": Ex-NFLer & CFB Champ Sounds Alarm Despite Lane Kiffin's Team's Blowout Win Over McNeese

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

LSU had little trouble taking care of business against McNeese Cowboys. But former Tigers and Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko still sees a problem that could become much harder to ignore once head coach Lane Kiffin’s team gets deeper into SEC play.

The Tigers cruised to a 63-14 victory on Saturday, while quarterback Sam Leavitt delivered another efficient performance. Yet Fehoko, who was part of LSU’s 2019 national championship team, took to social media after the game with a warning.

“The Sam Leavitt experience is going to cost LSU there season at some point,” Fehoko wrote on X.

Fehoko’s criticism did not come out of nowhere. He has already questioned Leavitt publicly this season, particularly after the quarterback’s uneven outing against Louisiana Tech. In that 45-14 victory, Leavitt threw three interceptions, including a 100-yard pick-six, while LSU committed four turnovers in the first half.

Ole Miss's dominance masks a critical vulnerability that could derail their season. Subscribe to stay ahead of the storylines that matter most in college football.

“LSU fans will hate me but this actually plays in your favor,” Fehoko wrote ahead of LSU’s humiliating loss to the Ole Miss Rebels. “I’ve seen enough sample study of Leavitt he will cost them games this year. They need to give [Landen] Clark run,”

The Tigers eventually pulled away, but the performance exposed the kind of mistakes Fehoko believes could become costly against stronger SEC opponents.

Leavitt did have plenty of positives that night. He threw for 344 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, including three rushing scores, as LSU eventually turned the game into a win. But Fehoko had already made his concerns clear before the McNeese matchup, questioning whether the quarterback’s ability as a runner could sometimes overshadow problems with his passing.

“This is what I was talking about with Sam Leavitt. He’s spectacular on the ground, but he’s quickly turning into John Mateer with better PR the more I watch him throw. This is the same stuff he did at ASU. This is a routine slant; how do you miss this?” Fehoko wrote on X after the Louisiana Tech game.

Leavitt has given LSU reasons to believe the situation can improve. Against Texas A&M, he went 17-of-23 for 312 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-6 win, and receiver Jackson Harris caught six passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Leavitt did it while dealing with a hamstring issue, which Kiffin said ended up changing the way his quarterback played.

“That was a big emphasis from the week was to trust the receivers, throw things on time, don’t try to make extra plays. Sam did a really good job of that. We kind of joked, but it really happened. The injury helped that.”

McNeese provided another positive step. Leavitt posted 18-of-23 completions for 176 yards and three touchdowns. Since this was a non-conference game and fairly easy matchup, Kiffin also rolled out backups Clark and Husan Longstreet into the action to earn some meaningful reps in the second quarter.

Now the challenge becomes much tougher. LSU still has to face the heat of the SEC schedule, with matchups against Auburn, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas remaining. The Tigers are 4-1, but that stretch will be a far different test from McNeese. This was only a cupcake team for Leavitt; his true test has yet to come.

Fehoko has also campaigned for Clark, a sophomore who transferred in from Elon in the same portal window as Leavitt, to get a shot. Lately, Clark’s impact has also shown on the ground. Against Texas A&M, he rushed nine times for 41 yards. And against McNeese, he added a three-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter.

The McNeese win didn’t settle anything, and Fehoko doesn’t seem to think it was supposed to. LSU has the SEC schedule ahead of it, and Leavitt has a critic who is watching every throw. Kiffin will find out soon enough whether that critic was early or just right.

Trending Articles

The post "Sam Leavitt Experience Is Going to Cost LSU": Ex-NFLer & CFB Champ Sounds Alarm Despite Lane Kiffin's Team's Blowout Win Over McNeese appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos