Brian Kelly took the podium on Sunday night following a disappointing 45-24 loss to the Seminoles to begin the season.
The LSU Tigers’ 2023 campaign began with high expectations, but one game into the season, we have more questions than answers.
LSU led by three against Florida State at halftime in a top-10 matchup on Sunday night, but the Tigers allowed FSU to score 31 unanswered points to wrest control of the game and ultimately win it 45-24.
It was a disappointing outing for a Tigers team that entered as a 2.5-point favorite, and now LSU has a lot to work on against Grambling in Week 2 before it begins SEC play with a road contest against Mississippi State.
Here’s how coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] addressed his team’s performances following the game.
Kelly addressed the media on Thursday following the team’s first practice session.
With the calendar now in August, football is just around the corner.
LSU officially kicked off fall camp with the team’s first practice session on Thursday afternoon. Following the practice, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] spoke to the media in his first press conference since SEC media days as LSU kicks off camp.
Kelly addressed a number of news items including the staff changes resulting from Jimmy Lindsey stepping away as he deals with a health issue to John Emery Jr.’s status with the team.
Here’s everything Kelly said to the media following his first fall practice with the Tigers this year.
In what was largely a back-and-forth affair, the Tigers made the gutsy decision after scoring a potential game-tying touchdown in overtime to go for two and the win over coach Nick Saban’s team. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] found [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] in the end zone, and Tigers fans stormed the field in celebration of the first win over Alabama in Baton Rouge since 2010.
The win gives LSU control of the SEC West, which it could clinch as soon as next Saturday if it beats Arkansas and Alabama beats Ole Miss. For now, here’s what Kelly had to say after a defining win for his regime.
Kelly is ready for the biggest test to this point in his LSU tenure.
This Saturday, LSU will play in what could be its biggest game of the year as [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the Tigers welcome Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide into Baton Rouge.
Kelly is 0-2 all-time against Saban as the head coach at Notre Dame. Kelly and the fighting Irish lost 42-14 to the Tide in the 2012 national championship game and 31-14 in the 2020 Rose Bowl. Both of those were neutral site games.
This year is different. Kelly will be playing a home game against Saban in one of the best atmospheres in college football. When the sun goes down at Tiger Stadium, anything can happen.
“That’s why you come to LSU. It’s not pressure. It’s a privilege to play in games like this. That’s certainly why I came to LSU…To play in games like this,” said Kelly. “All of the noise and all of the other things are just distractions. This is about preparation. This is about focusing on our process this week and preparing to play our very best.”
Kickoff against the Crimson Tide is scheduled for Saturday night at 6 pm CT.
Here’s what Kelly said after the win over Florida.
[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] got arguably the biggest win of his tenure so far on Saturday night, winning a shootout on the road in Gainesville over the Gators.
After the two teams traded touchdowns for much of the first half, LSU stretched its lead to 21 points, and it looked like we were heading for a blowout. However, it wasn’t quite so simple. The Gators rallied, and quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] nearly had a costly turnover at the end that was wiped out by a UF personal foul.
LSU survived to win 45-35, moving to 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in SEC play ahead of another top-10 matchup in Death Valley next weekend against Ole Miss.
Here’s what Kelly had to say after his colossal win.
Kelly once again took responsibility for the ugly loss to Tennessee.
Saturday did not go as LSU hoped. That’s probably sugar-coating things a bit.
The Tigers were never competitive against the No. 8 team in the country, falling behind after a [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] muff on the opening kickoff set up a quick Tennessee touchdown. The Vols immediately took control of the game from there and never looked back.
Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] took responsibility after the game, and he did so once again when he took the podium Monday and reflected upon the loss.
“A quick look back over the weekend, which was not certainly a weekend that I’m anxious to look back at,” Kelly said. “But you have to take the good with the bad. And certainly, that was not anything that we want to put up there as a performance to be duplicated.
“The fact of the matter is, Tennessee played well; we did not start very well. Our attention to detail, the fundamentals, clearly has to get better. We’ve got a coach our team better. If you look at it… it’s a number of little things here and there. We certainly can’t start the way we did, as I mentioned, in terms of spotting a really good team ten points. (Our) guys battled, but again, you have to play clean against a top-ten team. we did not do that, and we got what you deserve in a game like that. If you don’t play smart football, if you don’t play clean, you’re gonna get what you deserve. So hats off to Tennessee.”
The Vols are a good team, and LSU is still overachieving for what should be a rebuilding year. But Saturday’s game provided clear evidence that this team has a way to go before it can compete with the best teams in the conference.
Kelly said he was proud of his team for finding a way to win last week.
Last Saturday night, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers traveled for their first true road game of the season as they headed to the Plains to take on the Auburn Tigers.
It was a back-and-forth battle between the teams, but in the end, LSU made enough plays to come out with a 21-17 win. The win makes LSU 4-1 this season and 2-0 in conference play. What does a win like that do for a young Tiger team like LSU? How will they use that to benefit them down the road as they get into the meat of the SEC schedule?
“As I told our guys, that’s a culture win,” Kelly said immediately after the game. “That’s a program win where you’re doing the right things to win a game like that.”
“An exciting win for our guys, certainly coming back from a 17-0 deficit on the road is not where you want to be but we found a way,” Kelly said. “It’s been the DNA of this group to battle, to fight, and they certainly did that tonight. They found a way to win.”
“Look, at the end of the day, there’s a saying in golf: There’s no pictures on the scorecard, there’s just what you score,” Kelly said. “Tonight there’s no pictures on the scoreboard for us.”
“We just found a way to win this game,” he said. “That’s really what you’re trying to do in the SEC West. It’s tough competition going on the road. It’s a tough crowd that you have to overcome. Was that our best performance? I hope not. But it was gutty, it was gritty and it was one that I’m proud of our guys and the way they hung in there down 17-0.”
Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers return to the Bayou this weekend to take on the Tennessee Volunteers this Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.
Banks suffered a spinal cord bruise and will miss 5-6 weeks, but he avoided a major injury.
The energy in Jordan-Hare Stadium was quickly replaced by solemn uncertainty on Saturday night, as [autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag] suffered an apparent neck injury on the opening kickoff. Banks was carted off the field on a stretcher and brought to a local hospital.
He was mobile and alert on arrival, and he was released later that night and permitted to travel back with the team. On Monday, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] offered an encouraging update.
Banks reportedly suffered a “spinal cord bruise,” similar to what safety [autotag]Major Burns[/autotag] is currently recovering from. Kelly said Banks is expected to be out 5-6 weeks as he recovers.
Though injuries are never good, it’s hard not to be relieved by this update. There is no structural damage to Banks’ spine, and he shouldn’t have long-term effects from the injury.
A graduate transfer from Ohio State, he appeared in 24 games over four years with the Buckeyes. He was expected to play a key role as a depth piece in the secondary, and LSU will hope he is able to return for the tail end of the season.
Kelly said the team is making an effort to get the ball, but there are a number of reasons it hasn’t worked out.
We’re already five games into the season, and it’s been a shockingly quiet start for LSU receiver [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag].
The junior was on pace for a massive campaign last fall before a broken ankle ended his campaign after six games. He entered this season expected to compete for the Biletnikoff Trophy and ultimately become an early pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
That’s not how things have played out, though. Boutte missed one game due to the birth of his son, but in four appearances, he has just 11 catches for 97 yards. He’s also yet to find the end zone.
Speaking to the media Monday, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] addressed potential causes behind that slow start.
“Part of this is building trust with a new quarterback. Obviously, we’re trying to get him the football. He’s getting a lot of double coverage,” said Kelly. “We’re still winning and he’s happy that we’re winning… He was happy we won the football game. Would he like the ball more? Absolutely. But he’s handled himself in the right way and he continues to work for the team.”
There may be more than pride at stake for Boutte. If his lack of production causes a slide in the draft, it could cost him millions. But Kelly said scouts will see the talent, regardless of the production.
“All those guys that make decisions about who the best receivers are in the country are still going to look at Kayshon and go, ‘That’s a really, really good wide receiver,’” he said. “Numbers are numbers. At the end of the day, he’s going to continue to play this game at the next level and the numbers won’t dictate where he gets drafted. It’s his ability to continue to play the game at the highest level,” said Kelly. “When you turn on the film, he’s running full speed, he’s beating the guys, and the ball didn’t come to him for whatever reason. That’s out of his control. So what Kayshon continues to do better each and every week is he controls what he can control. He does that in practice now and he does that in games.”
Kelly has said in the past that the coaches want to let the offense flow naturally rather than try to brute force involvement for Boutte. With that being said, he’s one of the top talents in the SEC. It would be a boon for the offense if it can manufacture some touches for him.
Here’s what Kelly said after Saturday night’s big road win.
Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is off to a strong start in SEC play.
His team is 4-1 with a perfect 2-0 record in league games after Saturday night’s comeback 21-17 win over Auburn. LSU quickly fell into a 17-0 deficit in this one, but strong second-half adjustments sparked the comeback effort.
After the game, Kelly discussed his team’s performance and updated several ongoing injury situations, including the one surrounding starting quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], who exited in the second half with a knee injury and didn’t return.
Here’s a full rundown of what Kelly had to say after a gutsy win on the road Saturday night.
