Texas football heads to LSU’s campus this week for the first time in 73 years.
While No. 7 Texas (7-2, 4-2) remains in the hunt for a College Football Playoff berth, LSU (6-3, 3-3) may just be destined for a regular bowl game since the Tigers will tumble from the No. 14 spot in the CFP rankings following this past weekend’s 31-13 loss at home to Alabama. A postseason without the playoffs will likely be considered a disappointment at LSU, which hired head coach Lane Kiffin away from SEC rival Ole Miss and overhauled its roster during the offseason.
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Here are five things to know about the Tigers:
1. Kiffin, Sarkisian careers have crossed paths before
In 15 years as a head coach for five different schools, LSU’s Lane Kiffin has compiled a 122-56 record. Kiffin and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian have actually worked together on Pete Carroll’s staff at USC and Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama. On the field, Sarkisian’s teams are 1-2 against Kiffin.
2. LSU QB Sam Leavitt once played Texas in CFP quarterfinals
Quarterback Sam Leavitt was one of the notable transfers that joined the Tigers this offseason, and he has thrown for 2,553 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing nearly 71% of his passes and rushing for eight scores. Leavitt’s previous stop was Arizona State, and he was the quarterback of a Sun Devils team that nearly upset Texas in the 2025 Peach Bowl.
MORE:Why LSU football is eager to welcome Arch Manning, Texas Longhorns to Death Valley in 2026
MORE:How the Texas Longhorns graded in their win over Missouri
3. Jackson Harris is becoming LSU’s top target
LSU receiver Jackson Harris is coming off his best game of the season, an 11-catch, 166-yard effort against Alabama. He has recorded at least six receptions in four straight games and has topped 150 yards in each of his last two outings. The Hawaii transfer once belonged to the same receiving corps at Stanford as current Texas starter Emmett Mosley V.
4. Austin’s Princewill Umanmielen among SEC’s sacks leaders
LSU senior defensive end Princewill Umanmielen has recorded 8½ sacks, which ranks second in the SEC (UT’s Colin Simmons has 10½ sacks). Umanmielen grew up in Austin and attended Manor High School, but the four-star prospect did not receive a scholarship offer from Texas.
5. How often has Texas played LSU?
Texas owns a 9-8-1 lead in its all-time series with LSU, but a memorable shootout between the schools in 2019 is just one of two meetings between the Tigers and Longhorns in the past 60 years. Due to the pandemic-related cancellation of UT’s trip to Tiger Stadium in 2020, the Longhorns haven’t visited Baton Rouge since 1953.
This article originally published at 5 things for Texas Longhorns fans to know about the LSU Tigers.
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