Lane Kiffin opens LSU era with 51-10 rout of Clemson on College GameDay's 500th episode
College football's opening weekend found its defining moment in Baton Rouge, on the afternoon College GameDay staged its 500th episode. Lane Kiffin's first Tiger Walk as LSU head coach preceded a 51-10 dismantling of Clemson, and…
Key takeaways
- Lane Kiffin's debut as LSU head coach ended in a 51-10 rout of Clemson in Baton Rouge.
- The game took place on the afternoon College GameDay staged its 500th episode.
- Kiffin's Tiger Walk entourage included SI Swimsuit models Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne and comedian Theo Von.
- Two LSU players who caused pre-game drama had failed to make an NFL roster and were off the roster by kickoff.
- In other Week 1 action, Penn State won its home opener by shutout while 16th-ranked Michigan beat Western Michigan on a controversial Hail Mary.
College football's opening weekend found its defining moment in Baton Rouge, on the afternoon College GameDay staged its 500th episode. Lane Kiffin's first Tiger Walk as LSU head coach preceded a 51-10 dismantling of Clemson, and the day matched its billing.
Kiffin arrived at Death Valley accompanied by Brooks Nader, a Louisiana native and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, Livvy Dunne, LSU gymnastics star and fellow SI Swimsuit model, and Louisiana-born comedian Theo Von. Nader had appeared at morning festivities earlier in the day, returning for the Tiger Walk in a different outfit. She and Dunne are "Baywatch" co-stars. Their presence gave the procession a charge that the scoreboard later confirmed.
The result arrived without two players who had generated a week of pre-game drama. Both had failed to make an NFL roster and were off LSU's roster by kickoff. A rain delay and a halftime interview added texture to the afternoon. The 51-10 scoreline, one-sided from early on, was the main event.
Elsewhere in Week 1, the picture was considerably messier. Penn State won its home opener by shutout, allowing no points against a lesser opponent. Michigan, ranked 16th nationally, had a different kind of afternoon in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines trailed Western Michigan before a second that had already expired on the game clock returned. Michigan then converted a Hail Mary on its second attempt, after the first sailed out of the back of the end zone, with the clock at zero before anyone touched the ball. Western Michigan's supporters described the result as a robbery. Michigan fans stormed the field in the aftermath, and that reaction, following the performance that preceded it, offered a candid read on where that program currently stands.
LSU's ledger is clean by comparison. Lane Kiffin's first game at Baton Rouge, with its Tiger Walk entourage of Dunne, Nader, and Von, ended 51-10. Clemson supporters had checked out well before the final whistle.
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