LSU fires back at Paul Finebaum, Nick Saban, other critics after Week 1 victory over Clemson

LSU kept receipts. On Sunday, LSU football’s official X account posted a video including clips of many of college football’s most prominent voices — including Paul Finebaum, Nick Saban and Rece Davis — predicting LSU to lose against Clemson.

Naturally, the video ended with scenes from LSU’s convincing 17-10 win over No. 4 Clemson. Davis, the host of ESPN College GameDay, was particularly critical of Clemson in the video.

“We will learn that no matter how many times you put Clemson Tiger paws on practice hitting bags, on tackling dummies, no matter how many times you put 1-0 in your building — you don’t just waltz into Death Valley, watch ol’ Dabo run down the hill and stroll out with a victory,” Davis said. “And I’ll be able to use the stat once again that LSU has not started a season 1-0 since Joe Burrow was the quarterback.”

We learned a lot on Saturday in Clemson, South Carolina pic.twitter.com/lQStTfTeNa

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) August 31, 2025

LSU silenced its critics on Saturday evening. In the win, Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier completed 28-of-his-38 pass attempts for 230 yards and a touchdown, without throwing an interception.

LSU running back Caden Durham had a strong showing as well, racking up 74 yards and a touchdown on the ground. However, no offensive player for LSU outshined the team’s defense, which held Clemson to a mere 262 total yards of offense.

LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker kept his foot on the gas all game, endlessly pressuring Clemson QB Cade Klubnik. LSU finished the game with two sacks and four tackles for loss. Additionally, LSU’s defense picked off Klunbik once and held Clemson to just 32 total rushing yards.

The victory was LSU’s first in a season-opener since 2019, and a promising sign of what’s ahead for the Tigers in the 2025 campaign. After the game, LSU head coach Brian Kelly raved about his team while subtly taking a shot at their doubters.

“You know, those narratives were never anything we bought into as a program,” Kelly said. “We know, look, people build up the first game to a level of craziness. I mean, look at the quarterbacks that are under incredible scrutiny. So I just think that in this business, you really have to stay focused on what your job is, and my job is to bring a football team on the road, play with great confidence and composure and compete their tails off for four quarters.

LSU will look to build on its momentum next Saturday when it squares off against Louisiana Tech at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN+.