The LSU Tigers entered Saturday Night with a chance to truly be the sport's supervillain as Lane Kiffin returned to Oxford to face Ole Miss. Instead of crushing the Rebels like the Tigers did when they poached Kiffin, LSU gave Oxford a night it'll remember forever as Pete Golding knocked off his former boss in a 32-24 thriller.
This was always going to be a very tough game for the Tigers, but losing it still is a disappointment and a setback. LSU was riding high after the season opening blowout against Clemson, but now Lane Kiffin and the staff have to go back to the drawing board, and try to fix some of the biggest concerns from this loss.
The 3 biggest concerns for LSU following the Ole Miss loss
Is Sam Leavitt a good enough passer to run this offense?
When LSU added Sam Leavitt in the Transfer Portal it seemed like an odd fit in the moment, and on Saturday Night, the downsides were on display. Sam Leavitt had wide receivers wide open several times in this game, but he took off running which has always been part of his game. The mechanics with Leavitt are still a major work in progress, and twice including on the final drive, he didn't set his feet and missed an open receiver in the endzone.
Sam Leavitt doesn't look to have a great chemistry with any of his receivers which may be partially due to the time he missed this offseason. Leavitt and the wide receivers are eventually going to have to get on the same page, otherwise this offense is never going to reach it's potential.
What is Trey'Dez Green's status moving forward?
The biggest concern at the moment for the Tigers is the health of Trey'Dez Green who exited the game at the start of the 4th quarter. Green was the most effective weapon, and the comeback efforts stalled once he left as the Tigers managed just 3 points thanks to his final catch after his departure. Leavitt hasn't been on the same page with many of his weapons, but Green has felt like the go-to playmaker when LSU needs him most, and the offense won't be the same without him.
LSU TE Trey'Dez Green pic.twitter.com/eS37jQCQ6i
— Mike Scarborough (@ScarboroughMike) September 20, 2026
Who's going to step up at wide receiver?
Lane Kiffin's offenses may not always have a true go-to elite wide receiver, but at LSU that's traditionally a yearly occurrence. Once Trey'Dez Green went down, LSU didn't have that true game-changing weapon on the outside who can step up and win you the game. The Tigers have a ton of nice pieces on the outside, but the wide receivers combined for less than 100 yards, which is rare for the school and the scheme.
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