LSU football’s 2026 season continues on Saturday night as Lane Kiffin leads the Tigers to face the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington. LSU is 4-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play. LSU’s lone loss, a Week 3 game at Ole Miss, came on its only road trip so far in 2026. LSU will aim for its first win outside of Tiger Stadium.
SEC games often come down to which team gets the most out of its quarterback. LSU and Kentucky both start transfers at the position. Sam Leavitt for LSU and Kenny Minchey for Kentucky. Leavitt and Minchey were both in the 2023 high school recruiting class, before their journeys took them to the SEC.
The numbers point to Sam Leavitt and LSU having the edge at quarterback. Per PFF, Leavitt’s passing grade is 79.5, well above Minchey’s mark of 63.7. Leavitt’s 8.8 yards per attempt beats Minchey’s 8.0, which makes sense given Leavitt’s willingness to push the ball downfield.
Minchey’s completion rate of 67.8% is just above Leavitt’s 66.2% mark, but again, Leavitt’s average depth of target is over two yards longer than Minchey’s. With that added context, Leavitt’s completion rate is more impressive.
Minchey has been better at protecting the football, throwing only one interception. Meanwhile, Leavitt leads the SEC with seven picks, but a few of those interceptions haven’t been Leavitt’s fault.
Kenny Minchey vs. Sam Leavitt: Passing
StatKenny Minchey (UK)Sam Leavitt (LSU)Dropbacks / Attempts163 / 143168 / 139Completion %67.866.2Passing yards1,1481,220Yards per attempt8.08.8Touchdowns118Interceptions17PFF passing grade63.779.5PFF offense grade63.084.1Adjusted accuracy %76.578.4Big-time throw rate1.4% (2)5.5% (8)Turnover-worthy play rate1.8% (3)1.1% (2)Sack %7.46.0Pressure-to-sack %31.622.2Average depth of target7.19.2Time to throw (sec.)2.572.90Receiver drop rate4.0%12.4%
Source: PFF
Kenny Minchey vs. Sam Leavitt: Rushing
StatKenny Minchey (UK)Sam Leavitt (LSU)Rush attempts1635Rush yards56262Yards per carry3.57.5Rush touchdowns06Scramble yards53151Designed-run yards3111Yards after contact / att.2.004.34Fumbles22PFF rushing grade52.774.9
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p style=”font-size:12px;color:#666;margin:6px 0 0″>Source: PFF
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football vs. Kentucky: Comparing Sam Leavitt to Kenny Minchey
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