By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt achieved something against No. 16 Mississippi State that he has not done in the purple and gold – finish a game with zero interceptions. The junior was nearly perfect in the Tigers’ 31-0 win over the Bulldogs, completing 31 of 38 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns.
“It was one of my cleaner days in my career, maybe the cleanest,” Leavitt said after the game.
Leavitt set a new career high 81.6% completion percentage (minimum three attempts), passing the 78.3% mark he set earlier this season against McNeese State. It was also only the second time in his career he threw four touchdown passes and the first time he did so without an interception.
Leavitt was a perfect four-of-four on his first drive for 37 yards and a touchdown. His first incompletion did not come until the 4:50 mark of the first quarter.
“I felt like I played a pretty easy game, just getting the ball out to my guys and have them go make plays,” Leavitt said. “We did an incredible job with play calling and situational ball.”
Coming into the game against the Bulldogs, Leavitt led the nation with eight interceptions and was the only player in college football to have a turnover in each of his games this season. He threw one interception and had a critical fumble late against Kentucky last week, and cleaning up the ball security issues was a priority for LSU throughout the week.
“I thought he did a really good job of protecting the ball and was really clean throwing the ball and accurate and let his players make plays,” coach Lane Kiffin said in his postgame press conference.
Running back Stacy Gage did have a fumble at the start of the second quarter, but it was the only turnover of the game for the Tigers.
The dual-threat quarterback had just four carries for 17 yards on the ground. Kiffin said after the game that he aggravated the hamstring injury he suffered against Texas A&M and was limited in his mobility coming into the game.
“It helped me early on, like going back to A&M, just kind of settle in, and then just getting better each week after that,” Leavitt said. “Kind of saw just from my perspective, how well I can sit in the pocket and just deliver balls and make plays with my arms rather than my legs, and I’ve kind of built on that week after week. It’s a constant progression.”
Leavitt’s comfort in the pocket showed. Whether it was a product of an injured hamstring or not, he stood in, took hits and made throws under pressure. The next step will be combining his improved accuracy and timing with his explosiveness as a runner when fully healthy.
“Every single week we’ve just gotten better,” Leavitt said. “It’s a reality of the situation. We keep playing cleaner ball, understanding how this offense works, and then once it starts and gets going, it’s pretty magical.”
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