GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
CLEMSON, S.C. – Brian Kelly just beat Nick Saban again.
Until Saturday night here when the No. 9 Tigers beat No. 4 Clemson, 17-10, Kelly’s biggest win as LSU’s coach was 32-31 over No. 6 Alabama and Saban in overtime on Nov. 5, 2022, in Tiger Stadium.
Well, this win just beat that win over Saban and Alabama.
That was a huge victory four years ago because of Alabama’s and Saban’s history of beating LSU continuously over Saban’s reign in Tuscaloosa from 2007-23. And that win put LSU in position to reach the playoffs. That didn’t work out, but still it was a win over Alabama.
BRIAN KELLY BEATS A TOP 5 TEAM FOR 1ST TIME AWAY FROM HOME AFTER 0-8 START
That victory, however, came in Kelly’s first season. He was on his honeymoon and didn’t need that win nearly as much as this one Saturday night.
Kelly is in his fourth season now at LSU, and he has been a disappointment commensurate to his $10 million a year contract. There have been no playoffs, no significant bowls. And there have been three or four losses a year. He wasn’t in trouble of losing his job, but he was starting to incrementally descend, as Les Miles gradually did before his firing. Critics were multiplying, and would have quadrupled after a fourth straight opening setback.
Kelly needed to change the narrative. He and his team needed to break through the pressure barrier, as former LSU legendary baseball coach and athletic director Skip Bertman used to say. Kelly needed to be 1-0. And he did it. The pressure barrier was blasted away for the moment, and Kelly’s and LSU’s future are suddenly so bright, Kelly has to keep wearing shades.
And after 0-1 in his first three seasons, 1-0 never looked so good. LSU could move close to the top five when the Associated Press poll comes out on Tuesday. The Tigers may be favored in every one of their remaining games.
“Obviously, I’m so pleased for our players,” Kelly said. “Our staff – they made the plays today.”
The offense struggled through most of the night, but in the end, it did make the plays. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier didn’t throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns, but he was ultra efficient, didn’t have any turnovers and only suffered one sack in completing 28 of 38 passes for 230 yards and the game-winning, 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Trey’Dez Green with 12:18 to play. In all, Nussmeier completed passes to nine receivers. In the fourth quarter, he hit 9-of-9 passes for 39 yards.
Offensive coordinator Joe Sloan clearly looked like he had a new playbook. The Tigers were able to run the ball decently, and that’s all they need – 108 yards on 31 carries with running back Caden Durham getting 74 on 17 carries. That takes the pressure off Nussmeier to do everything, which was the case too often last season in LSU’s average 9-4 season.
Of LSU’s 25 first downs, eight came on rushes. There was misdirection, delay handoffs, screen or short passes that operated like runs. There was creativity. Wide receiver Zavion Thomas rushed three times for 27 yards, gashing the Clemson defense. Thomas also completed a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Aaron Anderson.
The balanced attack hurt Clemson, outgained it overall, 354 to 261, and allowed LSU to dominate the time of possession – 10:40 to 4:20 in the third quarter. In the second half overall, when the Tigers erased a 10-3 deficit to win, LSU held the ball for more than 20 minutes to Clemson’s sub-10.
“Did we even have a negative running play?” Nussmeier asked. “The running game was awesome.”
LSU DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BLAKE BAKER SPEAKS
And defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s unit shut Clemson out the entire second half. It harassed quarterback Cade Klubnik consistently with blitzes and pressure from all points, and it held Clemson to 31 yards rushing on 20 carries.
“We controlled the clock,” Kelly said. “Just the resolve. There are tactical things, but you’ve got to have grit. We controlled the second half with the offensive line, and that’s a reworked offensive line.”
Uh, yeah – like five new starters with a lot of youth.
“We knew what we needed to be better at this season,” Kelly said. “We had to be better at the running game.”
Even Nussmeier rushed twice for first downs on designed plays.
“I can’t remember the last time I saw that,” Kelly said.
And finally, Kelly admitted just how significant this win was in his career – his LSU career.
“These wins are big,” he said. “And there’s a boomerang effect.”
You can say that again, because we’ve seen the boomerang the other way after 0-1 in 2020, ’21, ’22, ’23 and ’24.
Kelly and LSU are finally on their way. The Tigers will be undefeated at least through Sept. 5, and they couldn’t say that since 2019. And Clemson still looks very much like the best team on its schedule. You saw the Alabama loss, right.
It’s a new day. And Saban’s not going back to Alabama. If LSU wins every game it will be favored in, that 1-0 will turn into 12-0.
“How about them Tigers, huh?” Nussmeier said. “How about that defense?”
Hadn’t seen LSU play defense like that in years. That kind of defense can cover up a bad day or night here and there on offense.
This is going to be a fun year.
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