No. 11 LSU Turns Death Valley Into a Track Meet, Overwhelms McNeese 63-14
Photo By: Bayou State Media Staff: Sam Becker Rodriguez
BATON ROUGE, La. — No. 11 LSU took care of business Saturday night, defeating McNeese 63-14 in a dominant performance inside Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers improved to 4-1 after producing 731 yards of total offense, including 367 yards on the ground and 364 through the air. LSU controlled the game from the opening quarter, built a 35-0 halftime advantage and used the second half to showcase the depth of its roster.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt led the early offensive surge, completing 18 of 23 passes for 176 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Two of those touchdowns went to Corey Barber Jr., who finished as LSU’s leading receiver with seven catches for 83 yards.
The Tigers were just as productive on the ground.
Harlem Berry led LSU with 125 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, while Stacy Gage provided one of the most explosive performances of the night. Gage rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, averaging more than 18 yards per attempt.
LSU’s dominance began almost immediately.
McNeese moved the ball near midfield on its opening possession, but the drive came to an abrupt end when Tamarcus Cooley intercepted quarterback Jake Strong and returned the ball 21 yards.
The Tigers capitalized on the turnover with a nine-play scoring drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from Dilin Jones.
LSU struck again later in the opening quarter when Leavitt connected with Roman Mothershed for a 1-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0.
McNeese briefly created an opportunity early in the second quarter when Lorenzell Dubose intercepted Leavitt near the goal line. The Cowboys, however, were unable to turn the takeaway into points.
From there, LSU continued to pull away.
Backup quarterback Landen Clark scored on a 3-yard run midway through the second quarter to make it 21-0.
Leavitt then found Barber for a 6-yard touchdown with just over four minutes remaining in the half. The pair connected again shortly before halftime, this time on a 12-yard score that sent LSU into the locker room with a commanding 35-0 lead.
The Tigers entered halftime having scored touchdowns on five of their six first-half possessions.
LSU showed no signs of slowing down after the break.
Freshman defensive tackle Deuce Geralds lined up on offense near the goal line and scored on a 1-yard direct snap, giving the Tigers another touchdown early in the third quarter.
Berry followed with an 11-yard touchdown run on LSU’s next scoring possession, pushing the advantage to 49-0.
McNeese finally found some offensive life late in the third quarter.
Backup quarterback Brady Barrier connected with Jamaal Levi for a 43-yard touchdown, giving the Cowboys their first points of the night.
Levi struck again shortly afterward, taking a reverse 64 yards for another touchdown. The two explosive plays cut LSU’s lead to 49-14, but the brief momentum did little to change the direction of the game.
LSU responded in the fourth quarter through Gage.
The running back broke free for a 46-yard touchdown run early in the period before adding another score from 39 yards out just minutes later.
Those two touchdowns pushed LSU past the 60-point mark and put the finishing touches on one of the Tigers’ most productive offensive performances of the season.
LSU’s Offense Shows Its Depth
The final numbers reflected just how thoroughly LSU controlled the game.
The Tigers finished with 731 total yards compared to only 196 for McNeese.
LSU ran 101 offensive plays, picked up 39 first downs and averaged 7.2 yards per play.
The Tigers rushed for 367 yards and six touchdowns while adding 364 yards and three scores through the air.
Three LSU quarterbacks saw significant action.
Behind Leavitt, Clark completed 7 of 16 passes for 126 yards, while Husan Longstreet completed 6 of 9 attempts for 62 yards.
LSU also spread the ball around through the air.
Barber led the way with seven receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Eugene Wilson III recorded four catches for 58 yards, while Jayce Brown added four receptions for 52 yards.
On the ground, Berry and Gage both surpassed the 100-yard mark, while Jones added 79 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
The balanced production allowed LSU to get several players involved without relying heavily on one offensive weapon.
Defense Controls McNeese
LSU’s defense was equally effective for most of the night.
McNeese finished with only 94 passing yards and 102 rushing yards.
The Cowboys recorded just six first downs and converted only one of 12 third-down attempts.
LSU also recorded three sacks and forced McNeese to punt 10 times.
Strong completed just 3 of 10 passes for 20 yards and an interception before Barrier entered the game and completed 5 of 7 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Levi accounted for nearly all of McNeese’s explosive offense, finishing with both Cowboy touchdowns. He recorded 46 receiving yards and 64 rushing yards, with most of that production coming on his two third-quarter scoring plays.
Outside of those moments, LSU largely kept McNeese from sustaining drives.
By the Numbers
LSU finished with a major advantage in nearly every offensive category:
Total offense: LSU 731, McNeese 196
First downs: LSU 39, McNeese 6
Rushing yards: LSU 367, McNeese 102
Passing yards: LSU 364, McNeese 94
Total plays: LSU 101, McNeese 47
Third downs: LSU 9-of-17, McNeese 1-of-12
Rushing touchdowns: LSU 6, McNeese 1
Time of possession: LSU 37:13, McNeese 22:47
Tigers Turn Their Attention Back to SEC Play
For LSU, the victory accomplished nearly everything the Tigers could have wanted from their final nonconference matchup.
The starters established control early, younger players received extended opportunities and LSU was able to showcase both its offensive depth and defensive strength.
The Tigers also leave the matchup with consecutive victories and momentum heading back into SEC competition.
LSU will now turn its attention to a road matchup against Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 10 in Lexington.
The Tigers head into that game at 4-1 after one of their most complete offensive performances of the season.
Final: No. 11 LSU 63, McNeese 14.
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