LSU Faces Ole Miss Amid Quarterback Injury Uncertainty and Coach Kiffin’s Return

The No. 9 LSU Tigers will travel to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the season-opening SEC matchup against the No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels. LSU’s starting quarterback Sam Leavitt is listed as “doubtful” on the conference’s injury report because of a sore throwing shoulder, but he participated in Thursday’s walkthrough, leaving his availability for Saturday night in doubt.

HeavySam Leavitt injury status takes expected turn after perceived Lane Kiffin roster theatrics Sports Illustrated“We know we’re walking into a hostile environment,” LSU defensive stars on Ole Miss CBS SportsNewsweek

Head coach Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford for the first time since leaving Ole Miss for LSU. Anticipating a hostile environment, Kiffin reportedly hired fraternity members to simulate crowd noise during practice, while defensive standouts Whit Weeks and Princewill Umanmielen said they expect a “rowdy” atmosphere.

Newsweek

• Sam Leavitt – 574 passing yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs; 135 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs in LSU’s first two games.

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• Injury history – Missed seven games over the past two seasons at Arizona State.

CBS Sports

• Backups – Landen Clark (Elon transfer) has completed 7 of 10 passes for 107 yards and a TD in mop-up duty. Husan Longstreet (USC transfer) is also on the depth chart.

CBS Sports

• Team record – LSU is 2-0, including a 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech.

“We know we’re walking into a hostile environment,” LSU defensive stars on Ole Miss

LSU’s injury report listed Leavitt as doubtful; his Thursday walkthrough participation was confirmed by sources. Kiffin did not comment on Leavitt’s status during his media availability. Weeks and Umanmielen emphasized confidence in the defense’s ability to keep Ole Miss quarterbacks “in the pocket.” LSU must submit an initial availability report by Wednesday 8 p.m., daily updates, and a final report 90 minutes before kickoff, with fines of $25,000-$100,000 for non-compliance.

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• Doubtful vs. Practice – The SEC report marked Leavitt doubtful, yet outlets observed his participation in Thursday’s walkthrough.

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• Backup Status – The same report listed backups Longstreet and Clark as doubtful, creating uncertainty at quarterback.

CBS Sports

• No definitive clearance – Practice involvement suggests improvement, but no source has confirmed Leavitt’s clearance to play.

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• “Sam's gotta do a better job taking care of the ball,” — Lane Kiffin

CBS Sports

• “I bet it’ll be even more rowdy this year than last year,” — Whit Weeks

“We know we’re walking into a hostile environment,” LSU defensive stars on Ole Miss

• “No one on the Ole Miss staff is convinced LSU QB Sam Leavitt’s appearance as ‘doubtful’ on the injury report is sincere and he’ll miss the game on Saturday, per sources,” — Pete Thamel, ESPN

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LSU’s next official injury report is due Thursday at 8:10 p.m. ET. The final designation released 90 minutes before kickoff will determine whether Leavitt starts and shape LSU’s offensive approach for the Magnolia Bowl.

Sports Illustrated