Greg McElroy looks back on LSU’s ‘complete domination’ of Clemson, Sam Leavitt’s performance
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Greg McElroy is in Nashville to call Sunday night’s Week 1 contest between Ole Miss and Louisville. It kicks off Pete Golding‘s first full season as head coach as he looks to lead the Rebels back to the College Football Playoff.
Nearly 600 miles away in Baton Rouge, Golding’s former boss in Oxford is off to a flying start.
LSU waited through a long weather delay before trouncing Clemson 51-10 in Lane Kiffin‘s first game in charge. It was all Bayou Bengals on Saturday: 644 total yards of offense to Clemson’s 145; 343 total scrimmage yards and three touchdowns for Sam Leavitt in his LSU debut; and an eye-popping 309-40 edge in rushing and 38-8 advantage in first downs.
In short, there’s not too much LSU did wrong.
“At halftime, it was 31-3. They had outgained Clemson 336-54 and were 21-1 in first-down edge at halftime. That is a complete domination,” McElroy said on his “Always College Football” podcast.
While Leavitt wasn’t perfect in his first game with LSU — and his first game since October 25 as Arizona State’s QB — McElroy was impressed with the signal-caller’s overall outing, especially after a Lisfranc injury derailed his 2025 season with the Sun Devils.
“Clearly, (his) foot looks healthy. Lot to like there,” McElroy said. “I thought he played very well. I think there’s a lot of room for growth because the talent’s certainly there, but there’s a lot to like.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
