LSU sent a clear message, not only to Clemson, but to the entire country with its dominant first-half performance against the visiting Tigers in Week 1 by taking a 31-3 lead into the break. Thirty minutes of complete control was not enough for LSU head coach Lane Kiffin, however, not nearly enough, in fact.
With Kiffin’s offseason bookended by a nasty exit from Ole Miss and court cases involving former NFL players potentially returning to college and suiting up for the Bayou Bengals, LSU and its newest head coach didn’t exactly enter the season as ‘America’s Team.’
Someone has to claim the role of college football’s biggest villain, and the most polarizing coach in the sport, leading a team that reportedly costs north of $40 million in NIL money and partnering with unsavory storylines galore.
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Through one game of the season, Kiffin and LSU aren’t only thriving while playing the big bad villain, but fully embracing it.
Kiffin’s alleged halftime speech from LSU’s win over Clemson has leaked, and the message revealed a coach and a program fully leaning into the narrative that they’re the most-hated in the sport.
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“Alright, guys, we started here like seven, eight months ago, whatever it was,” Kiffin said in the video. “We asked you to work really hard. We asked you to come back to work again and again and again. Do you feel good about what happened? Who gives a f— what happened? That’s what’s supposed to happen. There’s no f—ing celebrations for that. They’re f—ing soft.
“So you’ve got to show them again. They’re going to come out. It doesn’t matter what plays they run. It doesn’t matter what they do on offense, defense. Put the next motherf—ing quarterback in. I don’t give a f—. You send them a f–ing message who the f— is on their schedule. They have to play you.
“And don’t think we’re letting up late. No matter if you’re in the game for one more snap or 50 more snaps, you f—ing take it out on them. The whole f—ing world hates you. So you get a chance to show the whole world, ‘Go f— yourself.’ Clemson just had to see it right now.”
Not only was LSU up 31-3 when Kiffin delivered the alleged speech, but the Tigers had held Clemson to just 54 total yards of offense on 25 plays and negative four yards on the ground.
Kiffin’s message was delivered loud and clear, as LSU went on to outscore Clemson 20-7 in the second half to earn a 51-10 victory. LSU outgained Clemson by a stunning 499 yards on offense when it was all said and done.
