BATON ROUGE, La. — It did not take long for Lane Kiffin’s LSU team to set the tone during the first half in Tiger Stadium.

The Bayou Bengals have absolutely destroyed the Tigers in the trenches and on both sides of the ball, as LSU has raced out to a 24-3 lead at halftime.

Remember the 2024 season when the Clemson defense could not stop the run? That is what Tom Allen’s defense has looked like for much of the first half. The Tigers have downright been soft up the gut and have also had trouble stopping quarterback Sam Leavitt when he decides to take off and run.

Kiffin’s offense has outgained Clemson 336-53. LSU has 21 first downs, while the Tigers mustered just one. LSU is also 4-of-7 on third down.

LSU had close to 100 yards on the ground before the end of the first quarter and averaged 6.2 yards per carry over the first 15 minutes. Kiffin’s offense kept running it at will in the second quarter, too.

Running back Dilin Jones had 91 yards on the ground in the first half, while Leavitt had 100 yards via his legs. Only once did Allen’s defense force a punt.

The defensive line, despite the staff trying several different combinations, has generated no pass rush, and with Leavitt having plenty of time, he has no problem slicing up the back end of Allen’s defense.

The Tigers just have no answer for 6-foot-7 tight end Tray’Dez Green. He’s got four catches for 58 yards and should have more, as he dropped one that hit him right in his hands in the first quarter.

There have been breakdowns all along the offensive line, which in turn has allowed LSU to totally shut down any semblance of a Clemson running game. Not to mention not giving Chris Vizzina much time to throw. The Tigers have just one first down so far, which is downright abysmal. Oh, and the offense is 0-for-7 on third down.

Speaking of Vizzina, he’s not looked anything remotely close to the kind of quarterback this team needs. He’s actually looked like a deer in headlights at times. The junior signal caller is just 6-of-10 for 51 yards, with one interception. He probably should have had a second pass picked off in the second quarter. Neither of those throws was a great decision. Not that he’s had much help.

And despite how poorly things have gone, there was no sign of freshman Tait Reynolds until it was 31-3. He also led a three-and-out and took a sack on the final possession of the half. According to Swinney, Reynolds will continue to play in the second half.

With LSU owning the line of scrimmage, Clemson has -4 rushing yards. The longest run of the game came from Gideon Davidson, a five-yard scamper on a third-and-long deep in their own territory late in the half. Chris Johnson Jr. has been smothered both times he’s carried the ball.

Swinney talked about wanting his team to be mentally tougher this season. He’s about to find out exactly how mentally tough his Tigers are over the next two quarters.