LSU opens the Brian Kelly era coming off a 6-7 season a year ago.
It marked the first losing record for the Tigers since 1999 when LSU went 3-8. LSU won at least eight games in each season from 2000-2019, at the time the longest streak in college football.
First-year LSU coaches are 6-5-1 in their opening game as head coach of the Tigers – a stretch that goes back to the beginning of the SEC era. LSU’s last three head coaches all won their first game with the Tigers (Nick Saban def. Western Carolina, 58-0, in 2000; Les Miles def. Arizona State, 35-31, in 2005; and Ed Orgeron def. Missouri, 42-7, in 2016).
The Florida State contest will mark LSU’s fifth Sunday game in school history and the first since a 33-17 win over Miami (Fla.) in the 2018 season opener in Arlington, Texas. LSU is 3-1 all-time in Sunday games with the lone loss coming at Virginia Tech in the 2002 season-opener.
LSU will make its first trip to the Superdome since beating Clemson, 42-25, in the national championship game in January of 2020. LSU is 14-5 all-time in games played in the Superdome, which also includes a 10-2 mark in regular season games. LSU’s last regular-season game in the Superdome came in the 2017 season-opener, a 27-0 win over BYU. That game was originally scheduled for Houston, but was moved to New Orleans the week of the game due to severe flooding in southeast Texas.
LSU’s roster features 45 returning letter winners (24 offense, 21 defense) along with 16 transfers who started at their previous school. LSU’s roster also includes 28 players who have started at least one game in their career with the Tigers. LB Micah Baskerville (21), DE Ali Gaye (14) and DE BJ Ojulari (13) have the most LSU starts among players on the roster.
LSU will feature a new starting quarterback for the third straight year. Myles Brennan started the 2020 season-opener against Mississippi State, while Max Johnson opened at the position last year against UCLA. Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow was the last LSU QB to start back-to-back season-openers for the Tigers (2018-19).
Junior WR Kayshon Boutte, a preseason All-America selection, returns to the lineup after missing the final seven games last year with an injury. In 16 career games (11 starts), Boutte has caught 83 passes for 1,244 yards and 14 TDs. Boutte set the SEC record for receiving yards in a game with 308 on 14 receptions as a freshman against Ole Miss in 2020. Boutte ranks No. 4 in LSU history in receiving yards per game with 77.8 a contest.
