Before Brian Kelly took the LSU head football coach job last Nov. 30, he phoned Alabama coach Nick Saban.
“It (his conversation) was much more about the SEC,” Kelly said at his weekly in-season Monday press conference previewing Saturday’s Tiger Stadium matchup between the 15th ranked Tigers (6-2, 4-1 SEC West) and No. 6 Alabama (7-1, 4-1). “He didn't give up any secrets about etouffee or Louisiana or LSU. If he did, I would have bought that house on Highland that he lived in.”
Kelly contacted Saban because he has a deep respect for him and a Crimson Tide program that beat two of Kelly’s best Notre Dame teams by a cumulative score of 73-28 in a BCS national championship game and a College Football Playoff semifinal.
“They (Alabama) were extremely talented teams,” Kelly said. “The '12 team (that beat Notre Dame 42-14 in the national championship game) was as physical as a football team that I have ever played against. Then, look at the perimeter skill that they in '20 (when ‘Bama beat the Fighting Irish 31-14 in a CFP semifinal), it was amazing.
“This is a well-coached football team with elite talent that knows how to win and has played at this level consistently for year in and year out.”
Kelly understands the historical significance of the Tigers-Tide series.
“When you have Alabama on your schedule in November, you know this could be one of those where you check the box if you are not playing well, or it could have huge significance,” Kelly said. “In this instance, it certainly has much more significance than maybe it did last year where they weren't in the race.
“All the basic tenants of a game like this is that's why you come to LSU. It's not pressure. It's a privilege to play in games like this. Certainly, (it’s) why I came to LSU, to want to play in games like this.”
As usual, Kelly wants his team to follow its weekly process that has allowed it to progress to the point where the Tigers are back in the thick of the SEC West Division race after consecutive wins over Florida and Ole Miss.
“The first thing we need to do is just understand that you have to take this game and think about how you got here,” Kelly said. “We've done it by our preparation. We've prepared well. We have focused on playing our best when our best is needed. We can't be distracted by this is a big game or this is Alabama. That's not going to help us in this situation.
“This is about focusing on our process this week and preparing to play our very best and adding another layer to what we're doing and being more intentional in our practice. And then when it's time to flip the switch to performance, play more consistently when it's time to play.”
Like Alabama, LSU is coming off an open date in which the Tigers healed some injuries.
Kelly noted that previously injured wide receiver Jack Bech and safety Major Burns were cleared to practice Monday. Also, running back John Emery Jr., nursing a sore Achilles, was expected to practice. Offensive guard Garrett Dellinger (knee) is day-to-day but Kelly is hopeful.
Here's what Kelly had to say on other subjects:
On the chemistry growth between LSU QB Jayden Daniels and his receivers
“You can see is it in practice. I think there's much more of an understanding of where they're going to be and what he is doing. He (Daniels) doesn't need to look them down. There was a lot of visual hook-ups, if you will, where he was waiting for that receiver.
“He can get the ball out of his hands now without the receiver being out of his break. That just takes time. We just didn't have that time earlier in the season, and that's starting to build that kind of relationship that wasn't available to us earlier in the year.
“I think he is in the right space mentally, first and foremost, because he really enjoys being here. He has been in a learning process. He has learned a lot of football, and that growth process has really started to benefit itself, and we're starting to see that come to fruition on the field.
“So, I think more than anything else he is in a good space, and because of that, you're seeing growth and production happen at the same time. I think any time as a coach, as a teacher, as an educator, when you see that with a player, you feel pretty good about where you are at.”
On Alabama’s Heisman Trophy winning QB Bryce Young
“The Heisman Trophy winner is a playmaker. When it comes to making plays on the field, you just put on the film and you watch him. It's pretty amazing some of the plays that he makes.
“He breaks down your defense when he scrambles, and he is so intuitive and can make those plays happen. I think what we're concerned more is turning a smaller play into larger plays.
“He is a quarterback that is talented. He is not making it up, but he is improvising and making plays. He is elite. That's all I can say. A pretty terrific player."
On handling the pass rush of Alabama All-American LB/DE Will Anderson
“You have to employ schemes that help out the tackles, whether it's a tight end or a running back or you're sliding your protection there. They're (Alabama) pretty good on both sides.
“The ball has to come out quickly. We've got to recognize that. We're not going to be able to sit back there in the pocket and just go through five progressions. I mean, the ball has to come out quickly. We are going to have to move the pocket. We're going to have to protect. We're going to have to max protect.”
