Tigers Quarterback Sam Leavitt 10, The Ole Miss Rebels take on the LSU Tigers. September 19, 2026; Oxford, MS, USA; at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

They say big-time players make big-time plays when the lights come on, and for at least the first half, it looked like the LSU Tigers were shrinking.

The high-powered, fast-paced offense that Tiger fans expected to see Lane Kiffin translate over in Baton Rouge was being run better for the first 30 minutes on the opposing sideline.

Trinidad Chambliss and the Rebels got off to a blistering pace, taking a 24-7 lead into the locker room at halftime, as the former Division II quarterback that Kiffin helped discover was carving up the LSU defense.

Meanwhile, the LSU offense, with both Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. on its side, struggled out of the gate. The Tigers punted on their first three drives, two of them three-and-outs, before finally finding the end zone on a methodical 17-play drive that ended with Dilin Jones putting LSU on the board with a two-yard score.

Despite spending a reported $50 million in the transfer portal to inject the Tigers' roster with talent, Saturday showed there is still a lot of work to do. Much of that starts on offense in the passing game.

Even with the injury that he was overcoming, the expectations weren’t going away. The Arizona State transfer moved to Baton Rouge with a reported $6 million price tag, making him one of the nation's highest-paid quarterbacks.

That comes with little patience for growing pains, even if he is still settling in after recovering from injury and gelling with his supporting cast. Yet, there is no hiding that Leavitt’s start to Saturday won’t be good enough if LSU hopes to make the College Football Playoff.

The LSU passing attack yielded just 46 yards in the first half, as Leavitt completed nine of his 13 attempts. His most effective play came with his legs, where he scrambled for 28 yards.

Things improved in the final 30 minutes, as Leavitt and the passing game started finding success. The same issues reappeared in the redzone in what was LSU’s last drive.

Without star tight end Trey’Dez Green available due to injury, Leavitt didn’t have one of his most reliable targets.

Making matters even worse, Leavitt had two shots at the end zone with the game on the line. The first was the third-down pass to an open Zach Grace that was just out of his reach. Then the fourth-down pass was an under-pressure lob to the end zone, which Ole Miss intercepted, slamming the door on what would have been an incredible comeback.