BATON ROUGE, La. — The first half of Clemson’s game at LSU was a nightmare for the ACC’s Tigers. Heck, the whole night was a nightmare.

The main reason was how bad Clemson was beaten at the lines of scrimmage.

LSU dominated Clemson’s offensive and defensive lines. On offense, the offensive line was either missing blocks or just staying around doing nothing. On the defensive front, Clemson was getting pushed back and bullied on just about every run.

It was a total collapse at the lines of scrimmage and a big reason why LSU handed Clemson a 51-10 loss, the program’s worse under head coach Dabo Swinney. Clemson has now lost four straight openers and five of its last six.

LSU averaged 5.3 yards per carry on offense. Running back Dillin Jones and quarterback Sam Leavitt did most of the damage. The Bayou Bengals ran for 309 yards with Jones running for 113 yards and 2 TDs, while Leavitt ran for 113 yards and 2 TDs as well. LSU also threw the ball for 339 yards, with Leavitt completing 16 of 28 passes for 230 yards and another TD.

Jones scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter to give LSU a 10-3 lead at the time. Leavitt later rumbled for an 8-yard TD that made the score 24-3.

Leavitt ran 13 yards for a TD a few moments later, giving LSU a 31-3 lead at the break.

The offensive line looked just as bad as the defensive line for Clemson. They were whipped at the point of attack. And if they were not whipped they whiffed on a block or two. It was a total disaster.

Clemson quarterbacks Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds were running for their lives. Every time they dropped back to pass they were being hit or bull-rushed. It was this pressure that hurried Vizzina into an interception in the first quarter. He he did not see that defensive end Jordan Ross had dropped back into coverage.

Jordan stepped in front of the pass and rumbled 30 yards for a TD. That gave LSU a 17-3 lead at the time. The dog blitz totally confused Vizzina and the offensive line, too.

The ACC’s Tigers averaged just 40 yards on the ground. Clemson had just 145 total yards and were 1-for-13 on third down. Clemson had just eight first downs.

LSU finished the game with 644 total yards, and an easy victory.