Sam Leavitt vs. Kentucky: Should LSU Keep Its QB in the Pocket?
Sam Leavitt completed 18 of 23 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns against McNeese, but he recorded zero rushing attempts. Lane Kiffin said afterward that Leavitt did very little in practice early last week because of the hamstring injury and that LSU was still limited in what it could call Saturday. Kiffin also said Leavitt was significantly better than he had been the previous week.
TigerHype Staff take: LSU obviously wants a healthy Leavitt capable of hurting defenses with his legs. But there is an interesting question here: the injury has forced him to play more from the pocket, and LSU's offense has looked increasingly efficient. Kentucky also struggled containing quarterback movement against South Carolina, which makes the temptation to unleash Leavitt again even greater.
If Leavitt is 90–95% Saturday, do you bring the designed QB run game back against Kentucky — or keep protecting him and make Kentucky beat LSU’s pocket passing and running backs?
TigerHype articles:
Sam Leavitt at LSU: 2026 Stats, Background & QB Role
Ole Miss’ Plan for Sam Leavitt: Make Him Win From the Pocket