BATON ROUGE - The "Lane Kiffin Era" in Baton Rouge started off with a statement victory over the Clemson Tigers. 

LSU received the opening kickoff, but the Tigers' first possession ended almost immediately. On the second play from scrimmage, quarterback Sam Leavitt was intercepted on a pass intended for wide receiver Malik Elzy.

Clemson took over at the LSU 33-yard line, but the Tigers' defense limited the damage. LSU held Clemson to a 49-yard field goal, giving Clemson an early 3-0 lead.

LSU responded with a 59-yard drive, highlighted by a 21-yard connection from Leavitt to tight end Trey’Dez Green. The play helped set up Scott Starzyk for a 49-yard field goal of his own, evening the score at 3-3.

On LSU's ensuing possession, Leavitt led the Tigers on a 12-play, 89-yard drive that ended with running back Dillin Jones punching it in from one yard out. The touchdown gave LSU a 10-3 lead with less than four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

The points kept coming for LSU late in the first quarter. Just minutes later, EDGE Jordan Ross intercepted Clemson quarterback Christopher Vizzina and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown, extending LSU's lead to 17-3.

LSU moved back into field goal range early in the second quarter, but Starzyk's 48-yard attempt sailed wide right, keeping the Tigers' lead at 14 points.

Leavitt put together another lengthy drive for LSU midway through the second quarter, leading the Tigers 72 yards on nine plays. The Arizona State transfer capped it off by showcasing his legs, scrambling eight yards for a touchdown to extend the Tigers lead to 24-3.

With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Leavitt used his legs once again, scrambling 13 yards for his second rushing touchdown of the night to extend LSU's lead to 31-3.

Leavitt connected with Winston Watkins Jr. on a 32-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter, extending LSU’s lead to 38-3 over Clemson.

Near the end of the third quarter, Jones found the end zone for the second time on the night, breaking free for a 12-yard touchdown run. A failed two-point conversion kept the score at 44-3 as LSU continued to pull away from Clemson.

Midway through the fourth quarter, quarterback Landen Clark, who entered the game in relief of Leavitt late in the third quarter, connected with wide receiver Phillip Wright III on a short pass. Wright made a defender miss and took it 30 yards to the end zone, extending LSU's lead to 51-3.

Clemson scored their first touchdown with 3:14 left to make the score 51-10.

WATCH KIFFIN SPEAK BELOW: