After weeks of scrutiny and noise surrounding his arrival, Lane Kiffin could hardly have scripted a better LSU debut, with his Tigers overwhelming Clemson 51-10 on Saturday night in Baton Rouge.

The highly anticipated opener of the Kiffin era was pushed back nearly two hours because of lightning, and LSU took the field without two NFL signees whose bid to make their way back into college football has drawn widespread attention and plenty of criticism.

Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris were not included on the roster ahead of Saturday night’s matchup at Tiger Stadium, where heavy rain and repeated nearby lightning strikes emptied much of the venue — though the notoriously loud student section largely stayed put.

Their absence did little to slow LSU, which had more than enough to dismantle Dabo Swinney’s overmatched Clemson side. Quarterback Sam Leavitt ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns while adding 230 passing yards and another score through the air.

‘Imagine if we had pro players,’ Kiffin joked at the end of a brief halftime TV interview, with LSU already ahead 31-3 after piling up 336 yards to Clemson’s 54 and holding a staggering 21-1 advantage in first downs.

A sellout crowd at 102,000-seat Tiger Stadium was scattered by a downpour and a lightning delay that pushed kickoff back nearly two hours.

Still, Death Valley was packed when the game began – and fans didn’t have to watch more than one quarter to see Kiffin’s up-tempo offense live up to its reputation, running 23 plays for 140 yards.

LSU finished with 644 yards of offense while handing Clemson its worst loss in about 30 years.

Dilin Jones, a transfer from Wisconsin who finished with 113 yards and two touchdowns rushing, gave LSU the lead for good with a one-yard run that made it 10-3.

Edge rusher Jordan Ross’s 30-yard interception return made it 17-3 before Leavitt’s frenetic scoring runs of eight and 13 yards put LSU up by four touchdowns late in the second quarter.

Clemson’s offense struggled so much that Swinney subbed starting quarterback Christopher Vizzina out of the game in favor of freshman Tait Reynolds late in the second quarter.

LSU pulled farther away when Leavitt found Ole Miss transfer Winston Watkins Jr for a 32-yard touchdown down the left sideline in the third quarter. Jones’ 12-yard touchdown made it 44-3.

Leavitt given the rest of the night off after that, giving reserves Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet a chance to play.

The move to leave Wright and Harris off the roster avoided – or perhaps just delayed – a confrontation with the Southeastern Conference (SEC), which had passed a rule banning players who’d signed with NFL teams, only to see that rule put on hold by a court in Louisiana on Thursday night.

Leaving Wright and Harris off the roster ‘wasn’t easy,’ Kiffin said earlier Saturday on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay.’

‘As much as I feel for the players, and I believe that you fight for what you believe in, and I believe these kids have an opportunity to play just like all the other kids around the country that are winning court cases and being put on rosters.

‘But at the same time, I’m the head coach of LSU, and I had to make a decision that is for the big picture of LSU and the LSU football program with the uncertainties of what potentially could have come by adding them to the roster,’ Kiffin added.

‘So with that, we made the decision which is in the best interest of the team and the university.’

Flanked by influencers including former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, who later posed with Kiffin’s daughter, Landry, model-actress Brooks Nader and podcaster Theo Von, Kiffin was able to lead his players on the ‘Tiger Walk’ down ‘Victory Hill’ and into Tiger Stadium before the rain started.

A crowd dozens deep along barricades boisterously chanted ‘L-S-U!, L-S-U!’ Others who wanted to get a glimpse of the coach stood on ramps leading up to the LSU’s nearby basketball stadium, the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Tiger Stadium was packed with about 102,000 fans when the game finally kicked off around 8:45 Central Time.

By the end of the first quarter, LSU fans were delighting in a 17-3 lead resulting from a largely one-sided opening period that had Kiffin punching the air triumphantly and appearing to yell, ‘Boom,’ after running back Dilin Jones’s short touchdown run.

Both Wright and Harris have said they are enrolled at LSU, which means they could be eligible to be added to the roster later.

Legal action is ongoing, with the SEC planning an appeal of the Louisiana ruling and also awaiting word on a federal lawsuit it filed Thursday asking the court to force LSU into following its rules banning pro athletes.

The roster decision marked the latest move in a bizarre, wide-ranging disagreement over something most people used to agree on: that players who had moved on to pro sports from college could not return to college.

Under the rules the SEC passed last week that were subsequently shut down by the Louisiana court, the league could suspend Kiffin, fine LSU half its football budget and more if it puts Wright and Harris on the roster.

The case stems from a new National Collegiate Athletic Association rule that granted five seasons of eligibility for players who started college in 2023. Wright, Harris and dozens of others across the country who started in 2022 have filed lawsuits saying they also deserve a fifth year of eligibility.

Embedded within that argument is whether players among that class who tried out for NFL, NBA or WNBA teams should be able to come back to college and play.

‘The SEC’s presidents and chancellors unanimously adopted a clear and reasonable standard: Member universities should not place former professional athletes on their rosters,’ the conference said in a statement after Thursday night´s loss in Louisiana court.

In its own statement Friday, LSU said it was reviewing the court’s order and would ‘continue to work constructively with the SEC and NCAA as this matter moves forward.’

Jasson Domínguez returned to the Yankees on Saturday after a productive stretch with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where his bat had been heating up. Even so, he was not the hottest hitter on that roster.

That distinction belonged to Anthony Volpe, who came into Saturday on a remarkable power surge. Over his previous five games, Volpe had launched five home runs while going 12-for-17, good for a .706 average and a staggering 2.527 OPS. He had also gone deep eight times across his last 14 games.

“He became Barry Bonds all of a sudden, hitting a homer every day,” Domínguez said with a grin. “It’s crazy.”

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Since being sent down to Triple-A last month and replaced by George Lombard Jr., Volpe has been moved around the infield, seeing time at shortstop, second base and third base. The Yankees have used that versatility to broaden his defensive profile and potentially improve his path back to the majors if an injury creates an opening.

For now, Volpe has been doing plenty to keep himself in the conversation. After managing just one home run in 56 major league games this season, he has been feasting on Triple-A pitching, including a 1-for-3 night with two walks in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s loss Saturday.

“He’s working his ass off to get better, and you can see it every day, I’m telling you,” said Domínguez, who entered Saturday’s game in the sixth inning in right field and went 0-for-1 with a long flyout to center field. “I feel like the last two weeks, he’s hit a homer every day.”

Family’s suspicions created tension

The call that exposed the alleged scheme

Donald Trump’s MAGA-aligned super PAC is making a major investment in Texas, committing $10 million to bolster Republican Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign as Democratic underdog James Talarico looks to make a long-shot push to flip the Lone Star State blue.

The cash infusion comes just days after Trump personally promoted Paxton, urging voters to back the scandal-plagued Texas attorney general while also taking an awkward swipe at his appearance.

‘So, Ken Paxton, you might not like the way he dresses. And I say this—it’s so insulting to him, but I might as well say it—you might not like the way he looks,’ Trump told attendees at the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday.

‘You might not love his look. You might not love his television interviews, but he was the best attorney general in the country, perhaps, he was one of the best in the entire country. And that speaks a lot louder than the suit he’s wearing that doesn’t look so great.’

Even with those backhanded comments, the Make America Great Again super PAC is fully behind Paxton, reserving $5 million for television and digital ads attacking Talarico and another $5 million to promote the Republican nominee.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) records indicate that MAGA Inc., the super PAC aligned with Trump, gave the millions to Del Ray Media LLC on Friday. 

Del Ray Media LLC is a prominent GOP-aligned media firm. The firm spent around $336 million in the 2024 election cycle to push Republican candidates, according to OpenSecrets. 

‘MAGA Inc. is going to ensure Texas knows about Talarico’s radical policies and elects Ken Paxton to the US Senate,’ spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer said in a statement to Politico, calling the Democrat candidate ‘High Tax Talarico.’ 

But the Democrat’s team was unfazed by the massive contribution, with his press secretary telling the Daily Mail the eyewatering contribution is proof the GOP is ‘scared.’

‘Billionaire-backed dark money groups are lying about James Talarico because they’re scared of the people-powered movement we’re building to fix this broken, corrupt political system,’ JT Ennis, Talarico’s press secretary, told the Daily Mail.

Paxton thanked the president for his support following the contribution in a post on X on Saturday.

‘While James Talarico has a record of raising taxes on working families, my Protecting the Texas Promise Agenda cuts costs and makes life more affordable. Thank you, President, for your support. Together we will win for Texas and America,’ he wrote.

MAGA Inc. has been relatively quiet during this year’s midterms, with the only other donation this election cycle to Darline Graham’s campaign in South Carolina.

Graham ran to replace her brother, the late Senator Lindsey Graham, in a primary runoff in August. The super PAC contributed $827,000 to boost her campaign, according to FEC records. 

Before the contribution to Graham, MAGA Inc. had not spent on any candidates since May, when it donated $560,000 to oust Representative Thomas Massie in favor of Ed Gallrein. 

The president told his party at an event earlier this week that he would be traveling throughout the US to support Republicans in 35 tight races. 

‘I’m gonna take the final 30 days, maybe a little bit more than that, because it’s all about 35 races,’ he said. 

‘I’m gonna go to every one of those 35 places and I’m gonna see if we can get everyone elected.’

On Friday, he vowed to help senators and congressmen who need it, pledging to spend ‘whatever amount of money necessary to try and help us.’

‘This is my money that I control,’ he said.

MAGA Inc. is not Trump’s personal money. It is an ‘unauthorized’ hybrid PAC and does not solicit donations for specific candidates. 

The push for Paxton comes as the attorney general is locked in a tight battle in a state that has not had a Democratic senator in over three decades. 

Paxton has faced multiple scandals during his political tenure. He was arrested in a federal fraud case, which was later dismissed.

A year later, he won re-election as state Attorney General. 

He also faced an impeachment trial over allegations of bribery, dereliction of duty and disregard of official duties in 2023, but was acquitted on all charges. 

Talarico’s campaign has also accused Paxton of fraudulently using funds during his election. 

A complaint submitted by Talarico’s campaign manager to the FEC on Wednesday accused Paxton of taking funds from an illegitimate political committee. 

Paxton’s team has denied the allegations and the FEC has yet to investigate the claim. 

The race is widely viewed as a toss-up. A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll on August 25 showed Talarico leading by three percentage points. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Paxton’s campaign and MAGA Inc. for additional comment.  

By Friday night, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was allowing himself a measured dose of optimism.

Asked whether Los Angeles was beginning to get “on a roll” after putting together consecutive victories for the first time in weeks, Roberts didn’t overstate it. “I’ll take the two wins,” he said, adding that the Dodgers’ offense appeared to be “starting to do some good things.”

A day later, that cautious confidence felt a little more justified.

The two-time defending champions are not exactly back to peak form, and their record over the past two months still sits at an even .500.

Yet after a long stretch of uneven baseball, the Dodgers may finally be finding a spark. On Saturday, they rallied from behind against the Washington Nationals, then survived a tense ninth inning to secure a 6-5 victory — a hard-earned win that gave Los Angeles the kind of momentum it has been searching for.

For much of the evening, the night was shaping up to be a frustrating dud.

Shohei Ohtani was out of the lineup again. Max Muncy (sick) and Dalton Rushing (discomfort in the same right elbow where he already has a slightly torn ligament that he’s been playing through) were scratched a couple hours before first pitch.

The offense scored two first-inning runs, then went quiet. Tyler Glasnow was not sharp in a six-plus-inning, four-run start, turning the early lead into a two-run deficit by the time he exited.

The Dodgers, however, pride themselves on winning the “big moments.”

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And Saturday, none was bigger than when Tommy Edman stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh.

Two runners were aboard, after a walk from Alex Freeland and single from Kiké Hernández. The Nationals had turned to their historically wretched bullpen, which is on pace to set an MLB record in blown saves.

Right on cue, Edman took advantage.

Former Dodgers prospect Clayton Beeter threw him an elevated slider in a 2-and-1 count. Edman –– who had already electrified the crowd earlier in the night with a leaping catch at the wall in center field –– turned on it from the left side of the plate and launched a go-ahead three-run home run, igniting a scene of ecstasy at Chavez Ravine that was equal parts celebration and relief.

After all, the Dodgers are running out of time to get themselves right.

Each of their previous potential second-half turning points –– like consecutive sweeps of the Rockies and Pirates last month, or even their series win over the Tigers last week –– have proven to be false starts.

Each time they’ve seemed to be gaining traction, their offense goes cold, or their pitching hits a snag, or they have another injury setback that dampens the mood around the team.

For a while on Saturday, they were threatening to fall victim to all three fates. Even in the ninth, when what had grown to a 6-4 lead was suddenly in danger again with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position against Tanner Scott, danger loomed.

By the end of it, however, they were officially back on the upswing as winners of three-straight games.

This time, they need it to be a real catapult over the rest of the season.