LSU Tigers Playoff Hopes Officially Dead After Arch Manning Calls Game For Texas

The slimmer of hope left for a LSU Tigers' College Football Playoff appearance has now been put to rest after a touchdown pass from Arch Manning with just two seconds left gave the Texas Longhorns a 22-21 win on Saturday night.

The Tigers fall to 6-4 on the season and 3-4 in SEC play. Not the first year that Lane Kiffin wanted. Not that LSU needed to win it all in his first season, that would be a crazy high expectation, but they have crumbled in their big games.

After this game, all eyes are on Sam Leavitt. He had what was almost certainly the worst showing in his career, given the stage and stakes. It was his second three-interception game of both this season and his career. Leavitt has all the talent in the world, but has consistently shown game-wrecking decision-making.

This offense has fallen off a cliff in the red zone endlessly over the past two weeks, in large part due to the fact that Leavitt can't make the right play in the moments that matter. He is now tied for the NCAA lead with 12 interceptions this year.

This Tigers offense does have some playmakers. Jackson Harris had another two touchdown game. Dilin Jones ran for 125 and a touchdown. It just didn't matter in the end, as the offense couldn't cash in. The entire team really, given that Scott Starzyk missed a field goal in a second-straight game and Grant Chadwick had an awful late punt.

Blake Baker's defense is going to receive some (correct) criticism for the late-game execution, but they are also the only reason that the team stayed in the game after the turnovers.

Ty Benefield had a two-interception day. DJ Pickett got a turnover, but will probably be more focused on the ones he didn't grab. LSU also generated a ton of pressure with four sacks and eight tackles for a loss.

Manning picked them apart in the final drive. A consistent theme for Baker's zone coverage. It has been a deciding factor in each of the four losses. They just can't get stops in crucial drives. It is frustrating that both sides of the ball consistently showcase the ability to be be next-level, but also both just have slight weaknesses that are too much to overcome.

The Tigers will be playing for pride over the past couple of weeks, with both games on the road. Next week's matchup will be against the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers, who won this weekend.