Final: LSU scores season-opening win over Clemson
No. 4 Clemson hosted No. 9 LSU at Memorial Stadium, home of the ACC Tigers.
Clemson forced two LSU turnovers and led 10-3 at halftime, but the SEC Tigers scored two second-half touchdowns to get the win.
Scoring plays
First quarter
Clemson 3, LSU 0: Nolan Hauser connects on a 42-yard field goal. An LSU turnover set up the drive. Clemson CB Avieon Terrell knocked the ball away on a catch and safety Ricardo Jones scooped it up and returned it into LSU territory. Scoring Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 00:54
Second quarter
Clemson 3, LSU 3: LSU’s Damian Ramos kicks a 52-yard field goal. The SEC Tigers get on the board with 10:53 to go in the half. Scoring Drive: 8 plays, 49 yards, 04:47
Clemson 10, LSU 3: Running back Adam Randall scores from one yard out on a 4th-and-1 play to give Clemson its first touchdown of the 2025 season. Scoring Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 06:17
Third quarter
Clemson 10, LSU 10: LSU’s Caden Durham runs in a 2-yard score to cap a nine-play drive and tie the game. The SEC Tigers are out-gaining the Clemson offense 254-155 yards. Scoring Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 03:48
Fourth quarter
LSU 17, Clemson 10: LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier hits Trey’Dez Green for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 12:18 to go in the final quarter. Clemson was called for pass interference and roughing the passer on the drive. Scoring Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 05:51
Antonio Williams injury
Per the ABC broadcast, Clemson starting WR Antonio Williams went to the injury tent and then the locker room to check on a hamstring injury after a first quarter drive vs. LSU. Late in the second quarter, Williams was spotted back on the sideline. He spent some time on a stationary bike and was warming up, staying loose.
In the second half, he had his helmet off and watched from the sideline.
Clemson punter update
Clemson’s starting punter vs. LSU is Jack Smith, per pregame introductions at the stadium. Smith, a redshirt junior, sat behind former starter Aidan Swanson for three years and was the expected winner of the competition.
Clemson injury news: Walker Parks update
There’s no official availability report until Week 3 of the season when Clemson plays its first ACC game of the season against Georgia Tech. However, veteran offensive lineman Walker Parks, Clemson’s projected starting right guard, is expected to be available for Saturday’s game vs. LSU, a team spokesman says. Parks was injured in the team’s Aug. 9 scrimmage.
Other Clemson players who were banged up in preseason camp but appear healthy and ready to go vs. LSU: safety Khalil Barnes, cornerback Jeadyn Lukus and defensive tackle Amare Adams.
First Clemson depth chart
Turns out Clemson is releasing a Week 1 depth chart. A full depth chart was available to the media in the press box on Saturday afternoon. Here it is:
Some takeaways:
- Harris Sewell and Collin Sadler are co-starters at LG
- Walker Parks and Elyjah Thurmon are co-starters at RG
- Clemson has not formally named a starting punter yet
- Behind RB1 Adam Randall, David Eziomume is the No. 2 RB and well regarded true freshman Gideon Davidson is the No. 3 RB. Keith Adams Jr. is RB4
- Purdue transfer Will Heldt is not a standalone starter at DE. He and Jahiem Lawson are listed as co-starters at the DE spot opposite star T.J. Parker.
- Misun Kelley, a former wide receiver, is starting at Tiger (nickel)
- Ronan Hanafin is a co-starter at safety
- Adam Randall is the starting kick returner
Big NFL presence at the game
There are about 40 NFL scouts and executives on site for today’s Clemson-LSU game. The list includes New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen, Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane and Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst.
The Bills and Packers also have their vice presidents of player personnel (essentially the No. 2 position in a team’s scouting department) here. Between Clemson and LSU, two AP Top 10 teams, there’s plenty of talent to scope out.
Stadium nickname Death Valley
Clemson’s Memorial Stadium (capacity 81,500) and LSU’s Tiger Stadium (capacity 102,321) both use the nickname Death Valley for their home football stadiums.
As detailed by ESPN and The Clemson Insider, Clemson’s usage of the name dates back to the 1945 season when an opposing coach used the term.
After a 76-0 loss at Clemson, then-Presbyterian College coach Lonnie McMillan started to referring to the Tigers’ stadium as “Death Valley.” Clemson opened the season at home vs. Presbyterian, an in-state school, every year from 1930 to 1957.
Meanwhile, ESPN reported, LSU’s equally raucous stadium was referred to as “Deaf Valley” (as opposed to Death Valley) by most fans in the 1970s and 1980s.
There’s a theory that the Cajun accents that dominate the New Orleans/Baton Rouge area naturally turned “deaf” into “death” over time, ESPN reported. The media also started referring to LSU as Death Valley in the 1990s.
How to watch Clemson vs LSU today
- When: 7:52 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson
- TV: ABC
- Broadcast crew: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Molly McGrath
- Stream: Via ESPN or the ESPN app
- Radio: 105.5 FM in the Clemson area (see all Clemson radio affiliates here)
- Satellite radio: Sirius XM Channel 84
- Series history: Clemson trails 1-3; LSU won last meeting
This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 4:56 PM.
