BATON ROUGE -- After a commanding season-opening victory, No. 8 LSU returns home for a matchup with in-state opponent Louisiana Tech on Saturday night in Death Valley.
Kickoff is set for 6:32 p.m. CT on SEC Network+ and the LSU Sports Radio Network. Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman and Laura Stickells will be on the call, while Chris Blair, Jacob Hester and Gordy Rush will anchor the radio airwaves.
Last week, LSU kicked off the 2026 season with a dominant 51-10 win over Clemson, tallying 644 total yards (309 rushing, 335 passing) on offense, while allowing just 145 total yards on defense. Quarterback Sam Leavitt flashed in his purple and gold debut, accounting for three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing), completing 16-of-28 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown while adding 113 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Running back Dilin Jones also rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, marking the first time since 2023 that LSU had two 100-yard rushers in the same game. Winston Watkins Jr. led the team in receiving with seven catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.
What An Opener pic.twitter.com/TomjugnQfL
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 8, 2026
"That's how he performed in camp,” Kiffin said of Jones on Monday. “It doesn't matter what your stats were before, how many stars, or what you make. He wasn't a big name coming in. We just go off what we see."
Defensively, the Tigers imposed their will all night, highlighted by a 30-yard interception returned for a touchdown by defensive end Jordan Ross with 2:07 remaining in the first quarter. Ross also had a sack. Edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen led the unit with six tackles, 1.5 sacks and a QB hurry, while linebacker Whit Weeks posted an impressive performance with six tackles of his own and a QB hurry. Linebacker TJ Dottery also had five tackles.
The league office recognized these performances on Monday as Leavitt earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Jordan Seaton claimed SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week and Ross claimed SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. All three players were making their LSU debut.
"Last week is over,” Kiffin said. “It won't matter. Everything has to be the same as last Saturday. I challenge our fans the same. The fans were electric. Let's bring it again."
Death Valley is Sold Out
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 10, 2026
🎟️ https://t.co/tJ578V7hvx pic.twitter.com/JqrIme2F8e
Louisiana Tech will be led by quarterback Blake Baker, who threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 80-6 win over Northwestern State last week. Receiver Jalen Mickens caught a touchdown and led the team with 133 yards on just three catches. Defensively, defensive back Sam Fongang tallied seven tackles, while linebackers Zheric Hill and Grayson Hardy both finished with six tackles.
“Anytime you score 80 points, no matter who you’re playing, that’s doing a lot of things right on offense,” Kiffin said. “They are really well coached. The defense they play is really unusual so you have to change a lot of rules and do a lot of different stuff. It presents a lot of challenges. They played great in all phases last week. This will be a big, in-state game for them.”
Fans are encouraged to wear purple. Saturday's contest against Louisiana Tech will also be the second-straight sell out. Fans can also get an all-access look into Lane Kiffin's first season in Baton Rouge by watching The Difference, LSU Football's weekly docuseries on LSU+, following the Tigers all year long with exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes content you won’t see anywhere else. Start watching today.