LSU did exactly what they were supposed to do Saturday night, and then some.
The No. 11 Tigers buried McNeese 63-14 at Tiger Stadium. They ran a school record 101 offensive plays and put up 731 total yards, the second most in program history and the most since 2023. LSU moves to 4-1 on the season, while McNeese drops to 2-4.
It was over almost as soon as it started. LSU led 35-0 at halftime and outgained the Cowboys 347-31 total yards in just the first half.
“I know you are supposed to win these games big, but it doesn’t always happen,” Lane Kiffin said after the game. “101 plays is a lot of snaps for the backups.”
The tone was set on McNeese’s first possession, when Tamarcus Cooley picked off a pass straight to him to give the ball to the LSU offense. Dilin Jones finished the opening drive with a 1 yard touchdown run. Sam Leavitt followed on the next drive with a 1 yard touchdown pass to Roman Mothershed to make it 14-0 after the first quarter.
Backup quarterback Landen Clark punched in a 3 yard score in the second quarter after an interception from Sam Leavitt the previous drive before. Then Corey Barber Jr. took over. He caught a 6 yard touchdown and then a 12 yarder from Sam Leavitt on back to back drives to send LSU into the half up 35-0.
Leavitt, who has been nursing a hamstring injury, didn’t carry the ball once. It was his first game of his college career without a single rushing attempt. He went 18/23 for 176 yards with 3 touchdowns and one interception before giving the offense to Clark. Limiting Leavitt’s workload against McNeese was the smartest decision with a road trip to Lexington, Kentucky next on the schedule.
Barber’s Breakout Night
Before Saturday, Corey Barber Jr. had one catch for 15 yards on the season. He left Tiger Stadium last night with seven catches for 83 yards and the first two touchdowns of his college career. Barber got some big minutes to show off what he could do, and did just that.
Two 100 Yard Rushers
The LSU run game was relentless. Harlem Berry ran for 125 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries, the first 100 yard game of his college career. Stacy Gage accounted for 110 yards on the ground with only six carries and had two touchdowns to add to it. He broke off a couple huge runs of 46 and 39 yards to close out the scoring in the fourth quarter.
Five different Tigers ran for a touchdown: Dilin Jones, Landen Clark, Harlem Berry, Stacy Gage and even defensive tackle Deuce Geralds.
Geralds Makes History
The freshman defensive lineman lined up on offense in the shotgun and scored on a 1 yard direct snap to kick off the second half. With his sack on defense, that makes Geralds the first LSU player with a full sack and an offensive touchdown in the same game.
By the Numbers
- Total yards for LSU: 731 (second most in school history)
- Offensive plays: 101 (school record)
- First downs: 39 for LSU and 6 for McNeese
- Total yards for McNeese: 196
- Score at halftime: 35-0
McNeese’s only points came in the second half against LSU’s backups, on a 43 yard touchdown pass and a 64 yard touchdown run.
Up Next
LSU hits the road for its next SEC game at Kentucky next Saturday, Oct. 10. Kickoff is set for 6 pm CT on ESPN.
— Eric Palmer, TigerSources