Brian Kelly opened things up with some reality. Yeah, his No. 25 LSU Tigers are 4-1. They’ve returned from two-score deficits to start 2-0 in SEC play. The coach will rave all day about the team’s grit, and how LSU has fought from behind in all three Power 5 games and shown it doesn’t give up.
But that can last only so long. That luck will run out, and so will the list of teams the Tigers can get away with that against. LSU’s SEC gauntlet features Tennessee, Florida, Ole Miss, and Alabama next.
“It’s pretty clear this team plays with great heart, and they’ll fight, but heart and fight will not win games against the opponents that we’re going to have over the next month or so,” Kelly said.
Listening to Kelly during his Monday news conference, it’s clear that this change starts with the need to improve LSU’s passing game. LSU won Saturday at Auburn, 21-17, with just 5 passing yards in the second half. Against Power 5 opponents this year, LSU averages 64 passing yards in the first half. As much as LSU is figuring things out with quarterback Jayden Daniels’ impressive scrambling ability, there is a limit to what LSU can do if it doesn’t pass better with No. 8 Tennessee coming into Tiger Stadium this week.
It’s officially Tennessee week, and Brian Kelly has his LSU squad clicking on all cylinders as they look to extend their win streak to five games. The Tigers have looked sharp over the last few weeks, but the Volunteers provide a difficult challenge with their up-tempo offensive scheme.
Kelly addressed the media Monday afternoon, where he hit on several key subjects regarding his LSU squad. From discussing the passing attack issues to an injury update, the Tigers’ decision-maker gave a few key updates.
Here are a few takeaways from Monday:
Better execution in the first half
Over the last few weeks, LSU has played virtually flawless football in the second half, but that won’t win football games in their next few contests. They must come out the gate with a sense of urgency to continue their hot streak.
“It’s clear this team plays with great heart and fight, but heart and fight will not win games against the opponents we are going to have over the next month or so,” Kelly said. “We have to have better execution, we have to coach better.”
It starts in the passing game with Jayden Daniels. Throwing for 85 yards like he did against Auburn won’t cut it against Tennessee’s and Alabama’s of the world.
The Tigers must get it together with their passing attack to see success this week and Kelly harped on that significantly on Monday. Better execution paired with better coaching is a recipe for success.
