LSU vs. Clemson: A Series LSU Has Owned and Why LSU Wins Again Saturday

When LSU and Clemson meet Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, there will be no confusion in Baton Rouge about which Tigers are supposed to leave the field celebrating.

LSU enters the 2026 season opener with a 4 and 1 advantage in the series. The programs have met only five times, but those games include three major bowl games, a national championship and last season’s first regular season meeting. LSU has won four of the five, including the last two.

Now Clemson has to do something it has never done before.

Play LSU in Baton Rouge.

No. 11 LSU hosts Clemson at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday, September 5, on ABC. ESPN College GameDay will also be on campus as Lane Kiffin coaches his first game as LSU’s head coach. Clemson is No. 23 in the Coaches Poll and the first team outside the AP Top 25 at No. 26, while LSU begins the season No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the Coaches Poll.

For LSU, it is an opportunity to begin a new era by beating Clemson one more time.

LSU Leads the Series 4 to 1

LSU and Clemson have never been traditional rivals. Geography and conference affiliation kept them apart for most of college football history.

Until 2025, every meeting had come in the postseason.

The first came in the Sugar Bowl following LSU’s 1958 national championship season. Thirty eight years passed before the teams met again in the 1996 Peach Bowl. Clemson finally earned its only series victory in the Chick fil A Bowl following the 2012 season.

Then came the biggest game of them all.

LSU defeated Clemson for the national championship following the 2019 season.

Last August, the schools finally played a regular season game. LSU traveled to Clemson and won 17 to 10.

The complete series:

• January 1, 1959: LSU 7, Clemson 0, Sugar Bowl
• December 28, 1996: LSU 10, Clemson 7, Peach Bowl
• December 31, 2012: Clemson 25, LSU 24, Chick fil A Bowl
• January 13, 2020: LSU 42, Clemson 25, College Football Playoff National Championship
• August 30, 2025: LSU 17, Clemson 10, Memorial Stadium

LSU has won 80 percent of the games played between the programs.

Saturday gives LSU a chance to make it five victories in six meetings.

1959 Sugar Bowl: LSU 7, Clemson 0

The series began with a national championship team.

Paul Dietzel’s 1958 LSU Tigers arrived at the Sugar Bowl undefeated and already recognized as national champions. LSU needed one more victory to complete the school’s first undefeated and untied season in 50 years.

Clemson’s defense made LSU work for it.

The game remained scoreless until the third quarter. Billy Cannon took the football on a halfback pass and found Mickey Mangham for a nine yard touchdown.

Cannon then kicked the extra point.

That was all LSU needed.

The Tigers’ defense shut out Clemson and LSU won 7 to 0, finishing the season 11 and 0. Cannon rushed 13 times for 51 yards, accounted for all seven LSU points and earned Sugar Bowl Most Valuable Player honors.

One year later, Cannon would win the Heisman Trophy.

LSU’s first game against Clemson therefore ended with a shutout, a perfect season and a national championship celebration.

Not a bad way to begin a series.

1996 Peach Bowl: LSU 10, Clemson 7

The teams did not meet again until December 28, 1996, at the Georgia Dome.

Gerry DiNardo’s LSU team entered the Peach Bowl looking for its 10th victory.

Clemson scored first after LSU turned the ball over. Quarterback Nealon Greene ran five yards for a touchdown and gave Clemson a 7 to 0 advantage.

That was the last time Clemson scored.

Kevin Faulk finished an 80 yard LSU drive with a three yard touchdown run to tie the game. Wade Richey kicked a 22 yard field goal shortly before halftime to put LSU ahead 10 to 7.

The LSU defense took care of the rest.

Clemson mounted one final threat late in the fourth quarter, but Aaron Adams blocked a 52 yard field goal attempt with less than two minutes remaining.

LSU won 10 to 7.

Quarterback Herb Tyler was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after completing 14 of 21 passes for 163 yards and rushing for another 38. The victory gave LSU its first 10 win season in nearly a decade.

LSU was 2 and 0 against Clemson.

2012 Chick fil A Bowl: Clemson 25, LSU 24

This remains the one that got away.

LSU entered the 2012 Chick fil A Bowl ranked No. 9 and appeared to be in control when Jeremy Hill broke a 57 yard touchdown run on the first offensive play of the second half.

LSU eventually built a 24 to 13 advantage.

Hill finished with 124 rushing yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Linebacker Kevin Minter was tremendous, recording 19 tackles and a sack and earning the game’s defensive Most Valuable Player award.

But LSU could not finish Clemson off.

A Clemson field goal cut the lead to 24 to 16. Tajh Boyd later connected with DeAndre Hopkins for a 12 yard touchdown, although Clemson’s attempt at a two point conversion failed.

LSU still led 24 to 22.

The Tigers had a chance to run out the clock but went three and out, giving Clemson one final possession with 1:39 remaining.

Then came the play LSU fans remember.

Clemson faced fourth and 16 from its own 14 yard line.

Boyd found Hopkins for the first down.

Clemson continued the drive until Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 37 yard field goal as time expired.

Clemson won 25 to 24.

It remains Clemson’s only victory in the series.

2020 National Championship: LSU 42, Clemson 25

Seven years later, LSU got its revenge on a much bigger stage.

No. 1 LSU faced No. 3 Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on January 13, 2020, in New Orleans.

Clemson entered as the defending national champion.

The Tigers had won 29 consecutive games.

Trevor Lawrence had never lost a college football game.

And for a little while, Clemson looked capable of extending all of those streaks.

Clemson jumped ahead 17 to 7 early in the second quarter.

Then Joe Burrow and LSU took over.

LSU scored 21 unanswered points before halftime and led 28 to 17 at the break. Clemson pulled within three points in the third quarter, but LSU responded by scoring the final 14 points.

The final was LSU 42, Clemson 25.

Burrow completed 31 of 49 passes for 463 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 58 yards and another score.

Ja’Marr Chase caught nine passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Justin Jefferson added nine receptions for 106 yards. LSU accumulated 628 yards of offense.

Clemson’s 29 game winning streak was over.

Lawrence had his first college loss.

LSU finished 15 and 0.

And the national championship trophy went back to Baton Rouge.

Of the five games in this series, none matters more.

2025: LSU Goes Into Clemson and Wins 17 to 10

Last year’s meeting was very different.

There was no bowl trophy or national championship on the line. Instead, LSU and Clemson opened the season against each other in the first regular season meeting between the programs.

LSU entered ranked No. 9.

Clemson was No. 4.

The game was at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, and LSU arrived carrying an ugly streak. The Tigers had lost five consecutive season openers.

That streak ended in Clemson.

LSU trailed 10 to 3 at halftime before Caden Durham scored on a two yard run to tie the game in the third quarter.

The LSU defense changed the game moments later when Mansoor Delane intercepted Cade Klubnik.

LSU finally took the lead in the fourth quarter when Garrett Nussmeier found Trey’Dez Green for an eight yard touchdown.

LSU 17, Clemson 10.

That score held.

Nussmeier completed 28 of 38 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions according to LSU’s finalized statistics. He completed all nine of his fourth quarter passes and his final 11 attempts of the game. Aaron Anderson caught six passes for 99 yards, while Durham rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown.

LSU’s defense was outstanding.

Clemson was held to 10 points. Harold Perkins Jr. recorded a sack, and Delane’s interception helped turn the second half in LSU’s favor.

LSU controlled the football for more than 37 minutes, including approximately 21 minutes after halftime.

LSU went into Clemson’s stadium and won.

Now Clemson has to come to Baton Rouge.

Clemson’s First Trip to Tiger Stadium

This will be the sixth meeting between the programs but the first played at LSU.

That matters.

Last season LSU proved it could go into Clemson’s Memorial Stadium and win. Clemson now has to walk into Tiger Stadium for a night game, with ESPN College GameDay on campus and LSU fans ready for the beginning of the Lane Kiffin era.

LSU is 30 and 5 at home since the beginning of the 2021 season, including a 24 and 4 record in night games entering 2026.

Clemson is not walking into a normal season opener.

It is walking into Death Valley.

Sam Leavitt Gives LSU a Proven Quarterback

Kiffin rebuilt much of LSU’s roster through the transfer portal, but no addition is more important than quarterback Sam Leavitt.

Leavitt arrives after two seasons as Arizona State’s starter. In 24 career games between Arizona State and Michigan State, he has passed for 4,652 yards and 36 touchdowns while rushing for 816 yards and 10 scores.

In his 20 starts at Arizona State, Leavitt went 16 and 4.

His 2024 season included an 11 and 2 record as the starting quarterback, a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff appearance.

Now he gets Lane Kiffin calling the offense.

LSU also gives him proven weapons. Caden Durham provides an established running threat, while Trey’Dez Green enters the season as one of the country’s most dangerous tight ends.

Green already knows what it feels like to score the winning touchdown against Clemson.

He did it last year.

Clemson Still Has a Quarterback Question

There is a major difference between LSU and Clemson entering Saturday.

LSU knows its starting quarterback.

As of August 30, Clemson had not publicly named its starter.

Senior Christopher Vizzina remains the favorite over true freshman Tait Reynolds, but Dabo Swinney has not formally announced a winner. Vizzina has the experience advantage, although his college résumé still includes only one career start. In that game against SMU last season, he threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns.

Whoever takes Clemson’s first snap will face a difficult assignment.

A season opener.

A new role as Clemson’s primary quarterback.

Blake Baker’s LSU defense.

And more than 100,000 fans in Tiger Stadium.

LSU should test that quarterback immediately.

The Formula for LSU

This does not need to be complicated.

LSU needs to make Clemson’s quarterback beat it.

Stop the run early. Create long third downs. Let the crowd become part of the game. Force Clemson to communicate in noise, then allow Whit Weeks and LSU’s front to attack.

Offensively, Kiffin does not need Leavitt to win the game by himself.

Establish Durham.

Get Green involved.

Make Clemson defend the entire field.

Then take the deep shots that have always been part of Kiffin’s offense when the opportunities appear.

LSU has more certainty at quarterback and home field advantage.

Those are two significant advantages in a season opener.

History Is Already on LSU’s Side

LSU has beaten Clemson in almost every kind of football game imaginable.

The 1958 national champions shut Clemson out.

The 1996 Tigers won a defensive battle.

Clemson needed a fourth and 16 conversion and a field goal as time expired to earn its only series victory in 2012.

Joe Burrow and the 2019 Tigers erased a 10 point deficit and overwhelmed Clemson in the national championship game.

Last year LSU traveled into Clemson’s own stadium, fell behind at halftime and came back to win.

LSU 4.

Clemson 1.

Now Clemson has to visit Baton Rouge.

Prediction: LSU 31, Clemson 20

LSU should not expect an easy night.

Clemson remains a talented program, and Dabo Swinney has won too many important games to be dismissed. Season openers can also be unpredictable, particularly for a team with a new head coach and so many new pieces.

But the matchup favors LSU.

Leavitt is an established starter. Clemson enters the week without having publicly announced its starting quarterback.

Kiffin has an offense built around proven weapons.

LSU has the home field.

And Clemson is walking into Tiger Stadium at night for the first time in program history.

Expect Clemson to keep it competitive early. The opening quarter may be more about both teams figuring out what the other is trying to do than scoring points.

LSU should begin creating separation after halftime.

The defense forces a turnover. Leavitt produces a couple of explosive throws. Durham gives LSU enough on the ground to keep Clemson from simply attacking the quarterback. Green finds another way to hurt Clemson in the red zone.

By the fourth quarter, Tiger Stadium takes over.

Prediction: LSU 31, Clemson 20.

LSU improves to 5 and 1 against Clemson.

Lane Kiffin gets his first victory as LSU’s head coach.

And for the third consecutive meeting, the real Tigers are the ones wearing purple and gold.