Sam Leavitt Has Already Faced Texas in Double Overtime—What LSU Can Use
Sam Leavitt does not have to imagine what a Texas game feels like when every snap starts to bend under pressure. He has already lived through one that required two overtimes to settle.
Quick Answer
Sam Leavitt started for Arizona State in a 39-31 double-overtime loss to Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal on January 1, 2025. He completed 24 of 46 passes for 222 yards as the Sun Devils erased a 24-8 fourth-quarter deficit. For LSU on November 14, 2026, that experience matters most as a preparation tool: Leavitt has seen Texas pressure, survived a late comeback and felt how small red-zone and fourth-down mistakes become.
What happened when Sam Leavitt faced Texas?
The official Arizona State recap records a game that was both encouraging and punishing. The Sun Devils produced 510 yards, ran 97 plays and held the ball for 37 minutes, 54 seconds. Texas still led 24-8 with 10:17 remaining before Arizona State forced overtime.
Leavitt helped keep the comeback alive. He converted the two-point pass after Cam Skattebo's fourth-down touchdown throw, hit Skattebo for a 62-yard gain on the next scoring sequence and converted a fourth-and-1 sneak during the first overtime. The ending was harsher: after Texas scored and converted in the second overtime, Leavitt's final throw was intercepted at the goal line.
The official Texas box score lists Leavitt at 24-of-46 for 222 yards. The line does not include a touchdown pass, but it also cannot capture the composure required to turn a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit into a tie game.
Why the old box score matters to LSU now
Experience is useful only when it is translated. LSU cannot copy Arizona State's 2024 plan into a 2026 game, and Texas is not frozen in time. What Leavitt can carry forward is a catalog of pressure situations: stalled drives, fourth downs in plus territory, compressed red-zone windows and the emotional swing of a comeback that still was not enough.
1. Yardage is not the same as control
Arizona State gained 510 yards, the most Texas had allowed that season, yet scored only 11 points on four red-zone trips. That is the first warning for LSU. Moving the ball between the 20s will not matter if penalties, sacks or indecision turn touchdown chances into empty possessions.
Leavitt's job is not to recreate a 97-play game. It is to keep LSU ahead of the pressure clock and make each scoring opportunity feel simpler than the last.
2. Fourth down needs answers before the snap
Arizona State failed on three fourth-down attempts in Texas territory. The Sun Devils later converted a fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak in overtime, but by then the margin for error had almost disappeared.
That history makes LSU's fourth-down decision map against Texas more than a coaching abstraction. Leavitt and the offense need a defined answer for short yardage, a pressure check and a clock rule before those moments arrive.
3. Mobility should solve problems, not create chaos
Leavitt's legs are an LSU asset, especially when Texas wins early in the down. The lesson from the earlier matchup is not to turn every broken play into a rescue attempt. Selective quarterback runs, decisive checkdowns and clean throwaways can keep the offense available for the next snap.
What LSU can change against Texas
Build pressure answers into the opening script so Leavitt can identify Texas' intentions before protection breaks down.
Treat red-zone efficiency as the game's central offensive statistic, not total yards or time of possession.
Use Leavitt's mobility on designed terms instead of waiting for desperation scrambles.
Pre-plan fourth-down calls by field zone, distance and score so the offense is not inventing solutions at the line.
The companion first-15-play plan explains how LSU can test the pressure structure early. The larger 2026 LSU Football hub keeps the matchup context in one place.
What LSU fans should watch early
Watch Leavitt's eyes after the first disguised pressure. If the ball comes out on time and LSU stays out of second-and-long, the old Texas experience is helping. If the offense begins hunting explosives after every negative play, the game can start repeating the stressful shape Leavitt already knows.
And if the game reaches the fourth quarter inside one score, LSU's close-game finishing problem becomes the real test. Leavitt has already helped force overtime against Texas. LSU needs him to turn that scar tissue into a finish.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Sam Leavitt play Texas?
Sam Leavitt started for Arizona State against Texas on January 1, 2025, in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl.
How did Sam Leavitt perform against Texas?
Leavitt completed 24 of 46 passes for 222 yards. Arizona State rallied from a 24-8 fourth-quarter deficit before Texas won 39-31 in double overtime.
Does Leavitt's previous Texas game predict the LSU result?
No. The prior game gives Leavitt useful experience with pressure and late-game decisions, but the teams, schemes, personnel and setting are different in 2026.
What should LSU take from Arizona State's loss to Texas?
LSU should value drive efficiency over raw yardage, prepare specific fourth-down answers, use Leavitt's mobility selectively and avoid wasting red-zone opportunities.
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