By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – There are two questions that concern LSU fans as the 11th-ranked Tigers take a break from their nine-game Southeastern Conference grind and host McNeese in the football equivalent of a baseball midweek game Saturday night.
- Will it rain and how heavy will it be?
- Will gimpy, NIL-multi-million investment quarterback Sam Leavitt get the night off?
No guarantees, but the answers to both are no surprises.
There’s a much greater chance of rain Saturday, though probably not very heavy during the game, than there is of Leavitt putting on a helmet and taking the field after the 6:45 kickoff.
The outcome of the game itself is not in question. The betting line is floating around 50, give or take a few points, as LSU (3-1), with overwhelming home wins over Clemson and Texas A&M, lines up against a 2-3 McNeese squad from the FCS Southland Conference.
The Cowboys have called Baton Rouge twice recently and were competitive into the second half both times, in a 34-7 loss five years ago and a 32-10 defeat in 2010.
This year’s squad just edged SLC foe East Texas A&M 27-24, a week after losing 27-10 to another Southland team, UT Rio Grande Valley.
Factor in the constantly widening talent gap between the power conference teams and FCS foes, who have only a fraction of the NIL resources of their hosts, and there’s absolutely no indication that Saturday’s game will be competitive for long.
Unless …
Assuming Leavitt doesn’t take the field, along with a few other aching LSU starters, and their replacements, in particular backup QB Landen Clark, don’t sufficiently fill their shoes.
Tigers coach Lane Kiffin doesn’t have that concern. Nor does running back Dilin Jones.
“I feel like it’s the exact same,” Jones said. “It ain’t no drop-off. You can see that he’s very comfortable and can do the same things. He can run the ball, he can throw, he’s smart. He prepares the exact same way Sam does.”
Clark is used to teams at McNeese’s level, having played at Elon until being lured to LSU to provide depth behind Leavitt. Facing opposition including Western Carolina, North Carolina A&T and Campbell, in 16 games over two seasons (all 12 as a starter in 2025) Clark threw for over 2,300 yards and 18 touchdowns with the Phoenix.
Backing up Leavitt, Clark has played in three games, not hitting the field in the 32-24 loss at Ole Miss. He threw for 72 yards and a touchdown against Clemson and has 83 rushing yards and three touchdowns this year, two short runs last week mopping up against A&M.
Leavitt stretched his right hamstring in the second quarter last Saturday but refused to leave the game. He limped through until the 35-6 win was secured, and Kiffin gave Clark more than a quarter of action.
Several other injured Tiger mainstays could get limited workloads or nights off against the Cowboys. Kiffin said in his Monday media session he was contemplating that decision but has not announced any decisions.
Tiger Stadium is sold out, LSU officials announced in mid-week, although the damp forecast might stall season ticket holders who choose to stay home and watch on SEC Network.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com