Cody Slovensky
LSU Writer
The Fighting Tigers of LSU travel to Clemson, South Carolina, to take on the Clemson Tigers in a battle of top ten opponents. Both teams have their eyes set on a College Football Playoff berth, and the road begins Saturday night.
Brian Kelly enters his fourth season as the head coach of the LSU Tigers. The biggest obstacle for him has been the fact that he is currently 0-3 in opening games during his time in Baton Rouge. Kelly enters the season with arguably the deepest roster he has ever coached from top to bottom. Recently, Kelly announced that LSU will spend around $18 million on their roster.
Dabo Swinney finally used the transfer portal. Previously, Swinney has welcomed in (2) transfer quarterbacks in the entire existence of the portal, and now entering 2025, they welcome in 4 newcomers. Swinney deserves praise, as he is the only coach who thrives on what he has built versus utilizing the transfer portal.
Offense: Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier enters his second season as the starting quarterback. Joining him in the backfield is elite speedy running back Caden Durham as well as power back Kaleb Jackson. With arguably the most underrated wide receiver room in the country, Nussmeier will have returning receivers Aaron Anderson, Zavion Thomas and deep threat Chris Hilton Jr. Joining them will be newcomers Barion Brown (Kentucky) and Nic Anderson (Oklahoma). Redzone weapon Trey’Dez Green and newcomer Bauer Sharp (Oklahoma) will be heavily utilized tight ends this season.
Defense: Harold Perkins Jr. and Whit Weeks are the leaders of the defense. Perkins Jr. returns after a season-ending knee injury suffered against UCLA. Weeks returns from an ankle injury that he suffered against Baylor in the Texas Bowl. Both athletes are key pieces to a defense that has not lived up to LSU’s standard over the last few seasons. Now in 2025, the depth and system are in place, and they are ready to run through a wall for defensive coordinator Blake Baker.
Offense: Senior quarterback Cade Klubnik returns to continue what Clemson was building in 2024. Joining Klubnik in the backfield is wide receiver turned running back, Adam Randall. The returning trio of T.J. Moore, Bryant Wesco Jr., and Antonio Williams put together an extremely deep wide receiver room. The trio combined for 161 receptions for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Defense: TJ Parker, aka the man who had 11 sacks and 6 forced fumbles in 2024, returns in 2025. Lining up next to Parker is defensive tackle Peter Woods, both men are projected to be top 10 overall draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. At the next level, you get the duo of Sammy Brown and Wade Woodaz, with both coming off great 2024 seasons. 2024 breakout star and projected first-round draft pick Aevion Terrell leads the defensive back room.
Clemson is projected to win the ACC this year, and some even have them picked to win a national championship. LSU is also looked at very favorably in the SEC, with many media members projecting the Bayou Bengals to win the SEC and make a deep run in the College Football Playoff.
On paper, this has all the makings of an instant classic. Does the LSU defense finally take that leap and shut down the Clemson offense? Does Clemson test the new LSU offensive line, putting pressure on quarterback Nussmeier?
Be sure to tune in Saturday night for what could be the first of two meetings between these two teams this season.
Broadcast Information No. 12 Clemson (1-1, 0-0) (-9.5) at Georgia Tech (2-0, 0-0) Time: noon EST Date: Saturday, September 13, 2025 Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia TV: ESPN Georgia Tech welcomes in the Clemson Tigers to kick off ACC play. This match-up will set the pace for both teams. Both teams seek to make […]
TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
Pitt QB Eli Holstein threw 4 TD passes as the Panthers beat Central Michigan 45-17 on Saturday. The Pitt defense, led by LB Rasheem Biles, limited the Chippewas to 40 rushing yards. Head coach Matt Drinkall’s squad rushed for 236 yards a week ago against San Jose State. Game Summary Expecting a heavy dose of […]
TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
Broadcast Information The Pitt Panthers host the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday in a matchup between the MAC and ACC. First-year Chippewas head coach Matt Drinkall got a win in his first game at the helm, defeating San Jose State 16-14. Pitt opened the 2025 season with a win in the first City Game since […]
