By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU is only five games into the Lane Kiffin Era.
But so far, so good, and that could be great without injuries to three elite starters – defensive back/star position Dashawn Spears (knee), linebacker Whit Weeks (broken leg) and tight end Trey’Dez Green (knee).
Spears was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in week three at Ole Miss. Green has been out for the last two games since injuring his knee at Ole Miss, but is expected back within a few or several weeks. And Weeks has a chance to return late in the season after surgery on his broken fibula last week.
“I think I’d feel really good, if it weren’t for the injuries,” Kiffin said at his weekly press conference Monday as the No. 10 Tigers (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) prepare to play at No. 25 Kentucky (4-1, 2-1 SEC) on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN).
“I hope you have it figured out. I don’t make excuses. I just say how things are,” Kiffin said. “I think I’d feel really good (without the injuries). But still feel good. A lot of times, we’ve played as well as anybody in the country. Our first defense has given up one touchdown in the second half all season long with losing two players (on defense), who I think were on pace to be All-Americans. Having those guys (Spears and Weeks), as you go on the road and into the meat of the schedule, I’d feel really great about our program.”
LSU has seven games remaining – all in the SEC with four of those on the road. And five are against ranked teams.
-at No. 25 Kentucky (4-1, 2-1), Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN)
-No. 17 Mississippi State (4-1, 2-1), Oct. 17 (11 a.m., ABC or ESPN)
-at Auburn (3-2, 1-2), Oct. 24 (11 a.m., ABC or ESPN)
-No. 6 Alabama (5-0, 3-0), Nov. 7 (TBA)
-No. 1 Texas (4-0, 1-0), Nov. 14 (TBA)
-at No. 15 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1), Nov. 21 (TBA)
-at Arkansas (2-3, 0-2), Nov. 28 (TBA)
“And I feel great about the future,” Kiffin said. “I know what that is if we put together this team in that short amount of time without any background with them. I know what next year and the year after will look like. And that has nothing to do with how this season’s going. I just know that it’s a great combination of all these things coming together. That’s why we came here. Hopefully, Whit and Trey’Dez will be back at some point. That will make us feel a lot better.”
Kiffin also realizes his defense has not been tested, other than in the loss at Ole Miss, which took a 24-7 halftime lead before winning, 32-24.
“We really haven’t had a lot of tests out there. So, we’ll obviously eventually get a lot more,” he said when asked about the play of starting cornerbacks TJ Pickett and PJ Woodland. “There haven’t been a lot of balls thrown outside on them. Part of that’s because they’ve done a really good job, or that’s because of our pass rush. Part of that is that the other teams haven’t been great throwing teams on the perimeter. I think we’ll continue to get tested more out there. But they’ve done a really good job.”
LSU goes into the Kentucky game with one major road test under their hat.
“It’s getting used to it,” he said. “This team’s never played togehter. Most of the room’s new. A lot of them haven’t played in the SEC. So to go on the road like last time at night (Ole Miss) in that environment will help (against Kentucky). The first time you go into a road hostile environment is the first time. And also I just hope that they learn that it doesn’t matter how the first and second quarters go. You’ve still got to play the game and win the game in the fourth quarter, which we had a bunch of opportunities to and didn’t.”
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