Kelly making sure his Tigers stay grounded for Saturday's game at Arkansas
Most of LSU’s fan base may still be floating in the clouds after the Tigers’ 32-31 overtime victory over Alabama.
It’s a good thing LSU head coach Brian Kelly hasn’t joined them. And he’s making sure his team falls in line with him.
While a portion of giddy Tiger Nation is already booking flights to Atlanta for the Dec. 3 SEC championship game, Kelly is confident he can get the Tigers to stay in their same week-to-week rhythm as they prepare for Saturday’s 11 a.m. game at Arkansas.
If LSU beats Arkansas and Alabama wins at Ole Miss, the Tigers clinch the West Division title and their seventh league title game appearance.
Since LSU (7-2 overall, 5-1 SEC West) is on the upswing with three straight wins including two over top 10 teams and Arkansas (5-4, 2-3 SEC West) has spiraled mostly downward after starting the season 3-0, Saturday’s date in Fayetteville is suddenly considered a “trap game.”
"I've never bought into that because I think if it's a trap game, you have not done a very good job with your football team,” Kelly said. “They (his team) know that Arkansas is an SEC opponent that beat them last year. So, look, your thoughts affect your actions, that affect your physiological response. We've been working on how we think since day one.
“It becomes a trap game if you're not thinking right, and we'll get our guys thinking the right way, and we'll prepare the right way. This is about consistency. If they want to be a consistent program, they'll think the right way about this game.
“You're preparing for these moments in the first week. You handle these by being consistent in everything that you do every single day. Nothing changed last week in the way we prepared, and nothing will change this week.”
What has remained rock steady for Kelly from day one as LSU’s head coach is admiring his team’s undeniable grit.
“The biggest thing this year is that they have jumped in the deep end and really didn't know how to swim, but they were not going to drown,” Kelly said. “They were going to find a way to stay above water and kicking and doing whatever is necessary.
“That's kind of built this fight in them, this toughness in them. They haven't been perfect, and certainly we're not there yet, but they have such a pride in LSU.”
Here’s Kelly on other subjects:
On freshman linebacker Harold Perkins
“He is a mature kid. He is a bit of a throwback, and a throwback in this sense. Just tell me what I need to do. I don't need all the other things. And I'll figure it out as I go.
“It's kind of refreshing. He doesn't need to know all the whys. I'm not saying that we shouldn't give the whys to our guys, and that's part of coaching today. You've got to explain a lot of things.
“He doesn't need a lot of the whys. Just point me in the right direction; I'll figure it out. That's Harold Perkins. He knows he is not perfect, but he makes up for a lot of those things with his athletic ability.”
On his offensive philosophy
“I know that there are times where prolific offenses certainly get you a lot of wins. This is about not winning. This is about winning championships.
“It's my belief that winning championships, still have to control the line of scrimmage at the end of the day. Controlling the line of scrimmage and stopping the run, running the football effectively, exerting your will. So there has to be a physicality about what you do.
“Yeah, I still think you can win games throwing the football, and we'll have to win games with that kind of offense.”
On LSU’s improved running offense
“We're about 185 yards a game, which is the top one-third of the league. That's where we want to be.
“We're not where we need to be yet. We're getting better physically, but I think when you have a multi-dimensional threat like the quarterback, he provides you opportunities in the running game where he stretches the defense out.
“When he does that, you have to worry about the quarterback. You know, examples where the linebackers have to flow over the top. That creates some seams and opportunities. So it's part of the system in itself.
“We're not running duo every play downhill, direct snap, and just knocking people back every time, but we're getting better at that. I think it's just we're committed to the run.”