LSU’s 63 to 14 win over McNeese gave its youngest players more than a few late snaps. Fourteen true freshmen appeared in the official participation report. Corey Barber Jr. led the Tigers in receiving, Deuce Geralds made an impact on both sides of the ball, and other members of the class gained experience before LSU returns to SEC play.

Corey Barber Jr. delivered his breakout game

Barber entered Saturday with one catch for 15 yards this season. He left with seven catches for 83 yards and the first two touchdowns of his college career.

His catches mattered well beyond the final totals. Barber converted a fourth down on LSU’s second scoring drive, then caught touchdown passes of 6 and 12 yards from Sam Leavitt in the second quarter. The second score sent LSU into halftime ahead 35 to 0. Barber finished as the Tigers’ leader in both receptions and receiving yards.

The official play by play notes that Barber was injured after his final catch late in the fourth quarter. It does not give a diagnosis or a return timetable.

Deuce Geralds found the end zone and the quarterback

Geralds recorded one tackle against McNeese, but that tackle was a sack for a 7 yard loss. It was his fifth sack through LSU’s first five games, according to Tiger Rag’s postgame interview with him.

Then LSU put the defensive tackle in the backfield. Geralds took a direct snap at the McNeese 1 yard line and scored to make it 42 to 0 in the third quarter. After the game, he told Tiger Rag, “It’s been my dream just to be in Tiger Stadium,” and called scoring there “unbelievable for me.”

Other freshmen earned snaps

Defensive end Lamar Brown finished with two assisted tackles, while cornerback Havon Finney Jr. recorded one solo tackle. Freshman kicker Gavin Higgins took a fourth quarter kickoff that traveled 60 yards and was fair caught.

Receiver Brayden Allen and tight end JC Anderson each drew one target without a catch. The participation report also lists Nolon Buckels, Isaiah Washington, Ryan Miret, Brysten Martinez, Jabari Mack, Richard Anderson and Trenton Henderson. They were credited with no individual statistics in the box score.

Coach Lane Kiffin said afterward that the goal was “to get up and to evaluate these guys,” adding that LSU would need more players ready because of injuries and the conference schedule ahead. Saturday supplied that opportunity. Barber made the strongest case for more passes, Geralds added another remarkable chapter to his freshman season, and a wider group got its work on the field.

Sources

• LSU Athletics, official game statistics, play by play and participation report⁠. 
• LSU Athletics, 2026 football roster⁠, used to verify true freshman classifications. 
• Tiger Rag, postgame interview with Deuce Geralds⁠. 
• Bossier Press-Tribune, Lane Kiffin’s postgame remarks⁠.