Louisiana State University cornerback Mansoor Delane (4) reacts during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, August 30, 2025. Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Paul Finebaum's Take: ESPN Analyst Reacts to LSU Football's Win Over Clemson

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 9:00 AM ET

No. 9 LSU remains in headlines following a Week 1 victory over the Clemson Tigers on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers are in the win column after months of anticipation leading into the season-opening matchup against the No. 4 ranked program in America.

For LSU, there was emphasis placed on the showdown in South Carolina with the Tigers preparing differently this time around. The Tigers had a sole focus on walking out of Clemson 1-0.

After five consecutive Week 1 losses as a program, with three under Kelly's watch, LSU entered Saturday night hushing the outside noise and controlling what they could control.

“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.”

On Sunday, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum weighed in on the Tigers' Week 1 victory after selecting Clemson to come out with the win.

Finebaum's Take: Week 1 Edition

“Correct. I agree with everything you said,” Paul Finebaum said. “Except I was led to believe by people who had seen Clemson practice, that they were something that they were not. They’re a good team, but you don’t have to be elite to win that league, where you do in the SEC.

"And Brian Kelly called his shot. You wondered, was he putting too much pressure? He knew he had to do something different, and he did.”

LSU wasn't perfect on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, but did the little things down the stretch with Finebaum alluding to the program's physicality in crunch time paving the way.

“You’re right, it was a sloppy win because if felt like some of the other openers — and some of it wasn’t their fault. I mean, touchdowns were taken off the board. Mistakes were made. Field goals were missed,” Finebaum said.

“But, in the end, they were so much more physical on the line of scrimmage that we thought was going to be Clemson’s calling card. All of a sudden, that game against Florida in two weeks doesn’t seem like a referendum anymore on Brian Kelly.”

LSU will return to action on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium in the program's home opener against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

This article first appeared on LSU Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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