The No. 4 Clemson Tigers begin the 2025 season with a loss, falling to the No. 9 LSU Tigers at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.

LSU, 1-0, dominated its opponent, recording 354 total yards to Clemson’s 261 in the contest. While the home side recorded two takeaways in the first half, LSU responded with two touchdowns in the second half to steal the game away.

Down 10-3 in the first half, LSU blanked the Clemson offense in the second frame and scored 14 unanswered points, leaving the home side in disbelief when the clock struck zeroes.

Clemson, 0-1, got on the board first from a turnover on the second drive of the game. Cornerback Avieon Terrell was able to strip LSU tight end Bauer Sharp for the first takeaway, which Ricardo Jones then recovered.

Though the Tigers were unable to get into the end zone, the team settled for a 42-yard Nolan Hauser field goal. LSU traded a field goal later in the second quarter.

Clemson scored its only touchdown of the contest after the field goal. The touchdown was a 13-play, 75-yard drive that saw two fourth-down conversions. Running back Adam Randall punched in a one-yard score to take control of the opening half.

LSU continued to drive until the end of the half, and Clemson forced its second forced fumble of the half. The second one came from safety Ronan Hanafin and was recovered by Kylon Griffin.

Besides the touchdown drive, head coach Dabo Swinney and the team saw a stagnant offense, much different from the unit a season ago. The Tigers were 3-of-13 from third down and saw quarterback Cade Klubnik complete only half of his passes for a total of 230 yards.

The team only recorded 31 rushing yards, averaging 1.6 yards per carry. While the Tigers were fighting from behind in the latter half of the quarter, the team’s last 19 plays were all through the air, making it tough to get things going on the ground.

The team will return in action at home next Saturday against Troy at 3:30 p.m.