Head coach Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers rolled to a 45-14 victory over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday, but the 31-point final score masked a frustrating and inefficient performance.

LSU led just 10-7 at halftime despite the home-field advantage, and the game was littered with turnovers and sloppy play. The Tigers needed a 35-point second half to pull away from a Louisiana Tech team that stuck around far longer than anyone anticipated.

When you have that type of performance, there are going to be players who fall short of expectations. There are also going to be some who turn in strong showings worth highlighting.

For this winners and losers breakdown of LSU’s home victory, there is a lot of context on both sides of the coin. Some performances should translate to more victories during the 2026 college football season, and several others should give fans pause.

Winners

TE Trey’Dez Green

While the LSU offense was up and down throughout the contest, Green put together a stellar performance from his tight end position. He led the team with six receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown, an average of 17.3 yards per reception. With a long of just 24 yards, Green was consistent in turning in chunk plays for this LSU program.

At 6-7 and 245 pounds, he is the ultimate chess piece and mismatch weapon. Green is being projected as a potential first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft for a reason, and he showcased his talents and his ability to create big plays with his massive frame and elite overall athleticism.

Transfer wide receivers

Outside of wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. in the first game against Clemson, the other transfer wide receivers got off to a slow start for LSU.

That was not the case against Louisiana Tech. Former Florida receiver Eugene Wilson III hauled in six receptions for 93 yards on the day, including a long of 53 yards during the victory. Former Hawaii transfer wide receiver Jackson Harris also had a big day with three receptions for 80 yards, including a 42-yarder. That is an average of 26.7 yards per reception.

It was great to see Harris and Wilson get involved on top of Watkins. This should be an impressive wide receiver trio to continue to build around.

EDGE Princewill Umanmielen

The LSU pass rush was strong in this contest, and the Tigers were led by former Ole Miss transfer Princewill Umanmielen. During the game, he totaled five tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks. Umanmielen is an impressive speed rusher with an elite first step and bend, and he has flashed the ability to finish at the quarterback during the first two games. While he isn’t the most powerful rusher, his overall movement skills have been eye-popping so far for LSU through two weeks.

The pass rush

It wasn’t just about Umanmielen in this game. LSU totaled seven sacks on the day, including some flash plays from Jordan Ross and true freshman Deuce Geralds. This LSU front has been really good through two weeks, and they should continue to gain momentum as they move into the SEC schedule.

Run defense

Louisiana Tech ran the ball 31 times on Saturday for a grand total of negative-3 yards. LSU’s seven-sack performance was a big reason for that low total, but regardless, the run defense was stellar in this contest. The Tigers allowed a long rush of just six yards on the day and were led by linebackers Whit Weeks and TJ Dottery, who were both incredibly impactful stopping the run.

Run defense typically travels. It is great to see LSU’s run defense looking very improved so far in 2026.

Losers

QB Sam Levitt

While Levitt did some good things with his legs, including three touchdown runs on the ground, he was not good in this contest. He finished 25-of-38 for 344 yards and one touchdown but managed to throw three ugly interceptions. The raw passing yardage number and the rushing output will be what many take a look at, but the sloppiness with the football and the bad turnovers have to be something this team figures out answers for.

Levitt is a talented thrower and overall player, but the volatility has always been something that has held him back, even during his time at Arizona State. He needs to figure out the issue of turning the football over, because that is why Louisiana Tech was able to stay in the game for so long. Wilson also had a fumble on the day, and overall LSU turned the ball over four different times. That cannot be the case when they get into the meat of their schedule.

Running game

After running the football well against Clemson in the opener, LSU ran the ball for just 147 yards and four touchdowns on 44 carries. That is just a 3.3 yards-per-carry average. The run game was not efficient on the day, and it needs to be a lot better. This is a team, especially with an athletic quarterback, that is going to live and die with its ability to be efficient on the ground. Against a better opponent, this could come back to hurt them.

Harlem Berry and Caden Durham

It became apparent after the opener against Clemson that both Durham and Berry were playing from behind in terms of trying to crack the top of the running back rotation.

There was a hope that each would start to get more run and earn trust from this new staff. It is unsettling to see that against an inferior opponent like Louisiana Tech, where LSU ended up winning by 31 points, Berry and Durham combined for just three total carries. Berry had two rushes for four yards, and Durham had just one carry for negative-2 yards.

Three carries for two total yards was probably not what either running back envisioned at any point after Kiffin was hired. They clearly do not have the trust of this LSU offensive staff, and hopefully they will be able to command some at some point this season.