CLEMSON — Ninth-ranked LSU didn’t take its first lead until early in the fourth quarter, but once the Bayou Bengals finally went ahead, they would never relinquish it in a 17-10 win over fourth-ranked Clemson.

– While this loss certainly doesn’t eliminate Clemson from the 12-team playoff, there are bound to be questions about whether this team can still compete against the mighty SEC. This is the fourth straight loss Clemson has suffered against SEC competition, and the Tigers are just 3-8 in their last 11 games against the conference.

– Cade Klubnik and the offense just looked out of sync all night long. Clemson didn’t even hit 200 yards of total offense until well into the fourth quarter. That new look running game behind Adam Randall? Pretty much non-existent as the Tigers averaged less than two yards per carry, rendering the offense one-dimensional. This veteran offensive line simply couldn’t open any running lanes, often leaving Klubnik scrambling out of the pocket.

– This team was just not able to play complementary football. While LSU was able to move the ball, Tom Allen’s defense gave the Clemson offense multiple opportunities to go up multiple scores. Then, after going down a touchdown, the defense kept getting the offense the ball back with a chance to tie it. Klubnik and the offense just could not take advantage. LSU almost had the ball double the amount of time Clemson did in the second half. That’s how inept things were for Garrett Riley’s unit in this one.

– There were times when Klubnik seemed to revert back to some of the issues that plagued him during his first season as the full-time starter. The happy feet and the questionable decisions. As poorly as he played, at times, he was the victim of two key drops in the fourth quarter that stalled drives. One by TJ Moore on a fourth down play and one by Bryant Wesco on a deep ball. Both came late on possessions in which the Tigers were looking to tie it up.

– Where was transfer receiver Tristan Smith? After all of the hype in the spring and throughout camp, he barely saw the field. Even with Antonio Williams exiting the game on the second possession with an injury. So much for those waves of terror the receivers kept boasting about in camp.

– What an environment. It has been quite some time since Death Valley experienced that kind of crowd. It was electric, particularly early. The entire second half, the orange-clad faithful were just waiting on that one moment to really explode, but the offense never delivered.

– As disappointing as the loss is, the season is far from over. It is one loss against a Top 10 team. However, even if they were to somehow not lose another game the rest of the regular season, can this Clemson team win against some of the better teams it would face if it does somehow rebound to make the playoff? That is yet to be determined. This was the game the Tigers were supposed to make believers out of everyone. It just didn’t happen.