By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
As LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker tosses and turns over the call he made on the two-point conversion that left Kentucky with enough room to run two or three Thoroughbreds to the finish line, quarterback Sam Leavitt is wishing he had a play back as well.
LSU was leading, 27-24, at Kentucky with under five minutes to play in the game after Adam Zouagui had just missed a 42-yard field goal for the Wildcats that would have tied the game. And LSU running back Dilin Jones had just gained four yards.
It was 2nd-and-6 for the Tigers at their 28-yard line with 4:20 left to play.
It was Winning Time. Drive the ball, eat clock and score. But Leavitt scrambled left under pressure, got sacked for a 15-yard loss and fumbled it over to Kentucky at the LSU 13-yard line. Zoiuagui would miss a 26-yard field goal, but the Tigers still missed an opportunity to put the game away and went on to lose 35-34 in overtime.
“I was trying to ice the game out in four-minute,” Leavitt said Tuesday. “Man, you know, the fumble was brutal. That one really stung just because of the situation. I really should’ve just scrambled right. But I was going up to pass it, and it it slipped out of my hand. I think it got tipped. But that was pretty brutal.”
It was the ninth turnover by Leavitt this season in six games – eight interceptions and one fumble – as the No. 22 Tigers (4-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) prepare to host No. 16 Mississippi State (4-2, 2-1 SEC) in Tiger Stadium Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN).
“There’s not much you can say, other than don’t jump and pass the ball, especially at that point in the game,” Leavitt said. “I need to be a savvier player and not try to win the game on that play.”
He was visibly upset after the game Saturday.
“Just can’t put us in that situation,” he said. “At that point in the game, I should have just taken the sack and lived to punt.”
In 13 games as a starter in 2024 and seven in 2025 at Arizona State, Leavitt threw only nine interceptions and lost one fumble.
“Taking care of the football, it’s something I haven’t really had an issue with in the last two years,” Leavitt, a redshirt junior, said. “And it’s something that’s been showing up this year. So, it’s something that I’ve got to hone in on and keep getting better at.”
Leavitt has also not produced the kind of numbers expected for the No. 1 player in the entire transfer portal last off-season. He is 46th in the nation and eighth in the Southeastern Conference in passing efficiency at 150.1 on 117-of-173 passing for 1,496 yards and 10 touchdowns against the eight picks for a 150.1 rating.
And Saturday, he plays against a team he has not fared well against. In a 24-20 loss at Mississippi State on Sept. 6, 2025, Leavitt completed just 10 of 22 passes for 82 yards with two interceptions and rushed eight times for 25 yards. In a 30-23 win in 2024 at Arizona State, Leavitt completed 10 of 20 passes for 69 yards, but ran 11 times for 68 yards.
“I’ve got to be that person – the catalyst for the team, especially the offense,” Leavitt said. “I’ve got to be the one that’s always going to be the equalizer.”
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