Nothing came easy for either offense on Saturday night as No. 9 LSU took down No. 4 Clemson by a score of 17-10. In a quarterback matchup between two potential top-10 picks in Garrett Nussmeier and Cade Klubnik, many expected a relatively high-scoring affair. Instead, the defenses shined, but LSU's offense was able to grind out a gutsy win at Memorial Stadium. Here are our grades for LSU's Week 1 performance.
Offense: B
LSU trailed for most of the first half, as Clemson took a 10-3 lead into halftime. The Tigers struggled to get going early on. In the first half, Caden Durham had some nice runs and Nussmeier linked up with Aaron Anderson a few times, but the offense couldn't generate big plays or sustain drives. Furthermore, miscommunication and several pre-snap errors led to LSU burning several timeouts at the line of scrimmage.
But Nussmeier and company didn't fold. This is Nussmeier's fifth season of college football, and that kind of leadership is invaluable. He remained calm, poised, and confident, which in turn, led the Tiger offense to a much better second half. Nussmeier was clutch down the stretch, as he was a perfect 9-for-9 for 39 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The big moment came when Nussmeier hit Trey'Dez Green for an eight-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put LSU up 17-10. For his efforts, Nussmeier was named the SEC's Co-Offensive Player of the Week for Week 1.
Aaron Anderson shined at receiver, as he collected 99 yards on six catches. Nussmeier did a great job of spreading the ball around, as nine LSU pass-catchers caught at least one pass, with four (Aaron Anderson, Ju'Juan Johnson, Barion Brown, and Bauer Sharp) all hauling in at least five. The new-look offensive line was spectacular, as Nussmeier was sacked just once. That is extremely impressive when going up against a vaunted Clemson pass rush that includes potential first round picks Peter Woods and T.J. Parker.
It's also worth mentioning that Barion Brown's touchdown on an unbelievable throw from Nussmeier was taken off the board after a lengthy review. With that play, the Tigers were extremely close to putting 24 points on a loaded Clemson defense on the road. There's room to improve, but Nussmeier's poise and leadership kept the Tiger offense on the straight and narrow en route to a monster win.
Defense: A+
LSU fans couldn't have asked for a better start from the Tiger defense in 2025. After several disappointing seasons on the defensive side of the ball, LSU entered the new campaign with lots of new faces that were ready to turn things around under second-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker.
The revamped secondary looked impressive. Virginia Tech transfer CB Mansoor Delane put together a stand-out performance with an interception and a critical PBU on a Clemson fourth down attempt in the fourth quarter. Harold Perkins Jr was able to show off his versatility playing the Star position, recording five tackles, two quarterback hits, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Furthermore, Clemson was held off the scoreboard for the entire second half with Houston transfer S AJ Haulcy on the field.
In total, LSU held Clemson to just 261 yards of total offense, and held Dabo Swinney's squad to a 3-for-13 mark on third downs. Klubnik struggled all game long, completing just 50 percent of his passes on the evening. LSU's run defense was especially great, as Clemson mustered up a measly 31 rushing yards and 1.6 rush yards per carry on the night. The performance from this new-look defense has LSU fans fired up.
Special Teams: B-
The LSU special teams unit didn't have any game-breaking moments, but K Damian Ramos' 52-yard field goal was certainly a highlight. Ramos did miss a 46-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter, which wasn't particularly close. Neither team had any big returns or errors on special teams, which gives the LSU special teams unit a pedestrian B- grade for the opener.
Coaching: B
LSU's halftime adjustments played a huge role in this game. As previously mentioned, the Tiger offense looked out of whack early on, scoring just three points in the first half. But, things were much better in the second half. With that being said, those early lapses need to be corrected. Avoiding those early errors in games will be crucial moving forward. Faster starts will be greatly beneficial for LSU in games against Florida and Ole Miss later this month.
In a big decision to close the second quarter, Brian Kelly opted to not take the points with a chip shot field goal that would've made it a 10-6 ballgame. Instead, Kelly decided to go for it on a fourth-and-two on Clemson's 12-yard line. Some praised the aggressiveness in a tough road environment, while others shouted to take the points and avoid giving Clemson more momentum going into the break. The Tigers failed to convert, and the decision to not take the three points loomed large later on in a tightly-contested game. But thankfully, it didn't come back to bite.
But overall, LSU was the more prepared team and made the better halftime adjustments. They showed great resiliency in the raucous environment of Memorial Stadium, and that can be chalked up to solid coaching.