The roar inside Memorial Stadium was deafening on Saturday night as the big cat showdown between LSU and Clemson entered halftime.
Clemson held a 10-3 lead and had stifled the visiting Tigers offense. Head coach Dabo Sweeney held a 151-11 all-time record when leading at halftime. A defeat for LSU would mark the sixth consecutive opening game loss, which would have been the longest drought in program history. The last time the Tigers had won their season opener was in their 2019 National Championship run.
While the game was over in many fans’ minds, the Bayou Bengals were not going to give up.
LSU clawed its way back into the game. The Tigers’ defense slammed the door in the second half, holding Clemson scoreless, while quarterback Garrett Nussmeier led the comeback on the offensive end. He led an 11-play 73-yard drive late in the game, throwing an eight-yard touchdown to Trey’Dez Green, to claim a 17-10 victory in Death Valley.
LSU didn’t just escape Saturday with a win; they delivered a performance that revealed a new identity and catapulted them into the national championship spotlight.
LSU has been defined by its offensive fireworks under Head Coach Brian Kelly with the likes of Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers who are now making waves in the NFL. Since 2022, LSU has the seventh-highest points per game offense in FBS.
“We’ve had offenses here the last few years that could move the football, we needed to complement it with a defense that could stand the test,” Kelly said.
The Tigers’ defense is ranked No. 52 in points allowed per game since Kelly’s hiring and has long been the criticism of his coaching tenure.
On Saturday, Kelly and LSU flipped that narrative on its head.
His defense looked like a unit designed to dominate the game, unlike the serviceable defenses of the past. Clemson’s 10 points marked the lowest home offensive output for the team since 2010.
They blitzed quarterback Cade Klubnik on 56% of his drop backs. Despite being a seasoned college quarterback, Klubnik looked overwhelmed by the Tigers pass rush. Klubnik completed just 19 of his 38 passing attempts as well as throwing a costly interception.
The Clemson ground game didn’t fare any better, mustering just 31 rushing yards, with their longest gain only garnering 7 yards.
LSU bolstered their defense in the transfer portal bringing in 18 players. 12 of them were four-star prospects, eight which lined up on the defensive side of the ball.
One of those was Virginia Tech transfer Mansoor Delane, who stood out in the Tigers secondary on Saturday. On eight targets he allowed just one completion, while snagging the critical interception in the third quarter. The performance earned him a grade of 81.4 from Pro Football Focus.
In the age of high-powered offense in college football, defense still wins championships. The past three seasons, the national championship has been won by a team with a top five defense. LSU is beginning to look like the next program to follow that blueprint with its performance on Saturday night.
For all the emphasis on the LSU defense, Nussmeier is still the captain of this ship.
Throughout the offseason there were reports of Nussmeier dealing with abdominal issues and knee injuries and he was even limited in practice leading up to Saturday. Nevertheless, he still made the start.
Clemson came into Saturday boasting the best defensive line in college football, led by edge rusher T.J. Parker and tackle Peter Woods. Parker and Woods are both expected to go within the top 15 picks of the NFL draft in the spring.
Nussmeier spent the night under siege, forced to throw in less than 2.5 seconds on 31 of his 38 pass attempts. Unlike Klubnik, Nussmeier handled the pressure with poise, completing 66.6% of those passes. He recognized the rush and was able to neutralize it with his anticipation.
The biggest indicator of Nussmeier’s command over the offense was his ability to trust his reads and throw his receivers open. With an average time to throw of just 2.14 seconds, he consistently delivered the ball before his targets had even come out of their breaks.
Nussmeier completed his last 11 pass attempts, nine of which came in the fourth quarter. He totaled 232 passing yards in the game with a 73.2 completion rate.
His performance has boosted him to the highest odds to win the Heisman Trophy at plus-800 according to ESPN Bet.
LSU delivered a statement on Saturday that reverberated across college football. This wasn’t just about beating Clemson, or snapping an opening-day losing streak, it was about redefining a program. The combination of a truly lights out defensive unit and a quarterback who thrives under fire is the foundation that national championships are built on.
One game never decides a season, but LSU made one thing clear: they are not just contenders this season.
They’re coming for it all.