By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Avoiding a postgame press conference in which he will have to discuss a fourth straight season opening loss as LSU’s coach at Clemson Saturday night is obviously on Brian Kelly’s mind.
“The intention here to get to the press conference I want is why we brought in some veteran players,” LSU football coach Brian Kelly said Monday afternoon at his first game-week press conference of the season. “You need veteran players in an environment like that.”
The No. 9 Tigers and No. 4 Clemson kick off at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC.
“That means a lot,” Kelly said of the veterans he signed in the 18-man NCAA Transfer Portal class that was ranked No. 1 in the nation by 247sports.com. “It’s composure, leadership, experience.”
THE HISTORY OF LSU’S NUMBER 18
The Tigers will start possibly nine from that portal class Saturday night with junior center Braelin Moore, sophomore safety Tamarcus Cooley, sophomore punter Grant Chadwick and six seniors – right guard Josh Thompson, wide receiver Barion Brown, defensive tackle Bernard Goodwin, defensive end Jack Pyburn, cornerback Mansoor Delane and safety AJ Haulcy. Each started on their respective previous teams last season.
“Our process of developing this football team is so that when we get to these moments, it’s about having a team that is confident, that plays the game the right way in a hostile environment,” Kelly said. “Many would say with composure, maturity, and they’ve got to play with great competitiveness. Each and every play is going to be important for us.”
How that new experience and talent blends with LSU’s returning players will be key, Kelly said.
“It’s making sure that you have the pieces necessary to compete in those moments,” he said. “What’s the makeup of your team? I like the makeup, but I want to have this conversation with you after the game that we competed the right way. That our composure was amazing. And we played with great confidence. That’s the postgame remarks that we want. But that’s why we play the game.”
Kelly circled Clemson on the Tigers’ schedule in January and went about preparation for the game much differently than his three previous seasons, which opened with losses to Florida State in New Orleans, Florida State in Orlando and to USC in Las Vegas.
BRIAN KELLY’S NEW APPROACH FOR CLEMSON OPENER
There are also “Beat Clemson” T-shirts and “1-0” signs throughout the facility.
“My point being is that we’ve been at this and working at this, developing these things within our football team for the past nine months,” Kelly said. “Now, let’s go play against a really good football team on the road in what will be a very alive atmosphere – one that is difficult to duplicate. So, you make sure you recruit the right guys. And this is a team that we were very intentional about in terms of going out and getting mature players who can stand up to those moments.”
Kelly was asked about LSU having lost five straight openers – two in 2020 and ’21 before Kelly’s arrival – and what his approach is for this opener.
“I don’t think about those terms. I think about this year,” he said. “To play their very best are my expectations. We put in a lot of time. If we could just write in the score and know what’s going to happen, this would be pretty easy. We’re going to go out and compete. We’ll figure out what happens after that.”
LSU’s 0-5 RUN IN OPENERS
LSU’s five-game season opening losing streak follows:
2020 – Mississippi State, 34-44
2021 – at UCLA, 27-38
2022 – Florida State in New Orleans, 23-24
2023 – No. 8 Florida State in Orlando, 24-45
2024 – No. 23 USC in Las Vegas, 20-27
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