BATON ROUGE, La. -- It turns out LSU doesn't need any more NFL talent on its roster -- it's already oozing with it, and it was on full display on a steamy Saturday night in the No. 11 Tigers' resounding 51-10 win against unranked Clemson. The entire week leading up to the biggest game of Labor Day weekend was filled with speculation about whether first-year LSU coach Lane Kiffin would go against the newly implemented rules of the SEC and add two former NFL players who had been cut from professional rosters but were granted a fifth year of eligibility by a local judge. The university, its president, coach and athletic director were at the epicenter of controversy and a national debate on eligibility.

With scouts and personnel from 17 NFL teams watching, along with a raucous, damp, sellout crowd of 102,321 that waited through a two-hour weather delay, LSU put on a show with the players it already had. Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt, who injured a foot last year, looked like he did in 2024 when he led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Wisconsin transfer running back Dilin Jones resembled the downhill runner he was before he suffered a turf toe injury against Ohio State that ended his season.

They combined to rush for four touchdowns and 226 yards. Both players were complemented by an offensive line that pushed Clemson around and receivers who consistently blocked for them to take off for big gains. Kiffin infused his first LSU roster with 48 transfers -- the top portal class in the country, according to ESPN.com -- but the team played with a well-choreographed cohesiveness that resembled the familiarity of a veteran squad.

Together they methodically dismantled Clemson with a rejuvenated running game, a more physical push up front on both sides, a smothering defense and good old-fashioned execution of a well-called game plan. It all amounted to a 31-3 halftime lead. Kiffin said afterward that he was glad LSU played well because it meant the narrative of his team being distracted by the eligibility lawsuits wouldn't be the story."Because I get it, even if we won close and ugly, the whole story would have been, 'Man, I screwed the team up by doing this,'" he said. "I've been criticized heavily the last two weeks and I get that, I understand that.

But my job is not to please you and worry about what you're going to write. My job is what I believe is right, and I believe we were fighting for what was right for those kids."I'm not going to get into all the reasons, but that's what I believe. Maybe people don't like that, but they don't understand that."LSU left former NFL players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris off its active roster but added former Notre Dame defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka, who was part of the same court case but had not signed with an NFL team.

He had one tackle in the first half. Collectively, though, LSU's defense allowed Clemson just one first down in the first half -- its fewest in any half since Sept. 24, 2022, against New Mexico. LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker was able to schematically confuse quarterback Christopher Vizzina, evidenced by a pick-six the first-year starter threw with 2:07 left in the first quarter.

Jordan Ross, a 6-foot-5, 246-pound defensive end, got into his throwing lane, snagged the ball and rumbled 30 yards for the touchdown. And while Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris couldn't get his Tigers to sustain a drive, LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. mixed it up with tempo and playcalling. He was aggressive with short throws but also leaned into what appears to be a dependable running game sparked by Jones and a rebuilt offensive line.