What LSU head coach Brian Kelly said at his Thursday night press conference
LSU head football coach Brian Kelly met with the media Thursday night one last time before the Tigers’ SEC opener Saturday evening vs. Mississippi State in Tiger Stadium.
Here’s what Kelly had to say:
On the availability of LSU CB Sevyn Banks (an Ohio State transfer who hasn’t played yet this season
“He's gonna play. I think he's in a place where he feels he can do the things necessary to help our football team win. And I know our trainers feel that way as well.
“Look, he hasn't played in a while. What type of rotation is yet to be determined. But he's ready to play and he will play. I think it's really going to be dependent on how he feels out there and you how much rust he has on him quite frankly.”
On Mississippi State’s defense shutting down Memphis and Arizona starting QBs in the first two games
“They're disruptive. (Defensive coordinator) Coach (Zach) Arnett does a really good job with his system. They've got good players and they've got veteran players that know their system very well. They mix things up. They confuse the quarterback. They're a really good defense and they've proven that statistically. Good players up front, mix things up, confuse the quarterback. I think the system itself really puts their kids in a really good position to succeed.”
On the injury status of LSU cornerback Colby Richardson
“He had a mild thigh contusion, but he practiced all week. Really responded well and he's good to go. He's practiced all week.”
On LSU linebacker Micah Baskerville having an expanded role this week
“He'll play quite a bit. This (what Mississippi State does offensively) is kind of tailor-made for his skill set. I think he played well against Mississippi State last year and he's got a really good sense of what we want to do in terms of (pass) coverage.
“I think the other thing is you got to tackle really well. And you got to get guys down in space and you're fighting for every blade of grass, right? You got to get them down because they're a team that certainly puts themselves in really good third down situations as well.”
On the progress of the Tigers finding an identity
“There's no doubt there’s discovery each week, good and bad. And it's not just necessarily tactical and technical. This is still about good habits, bad habits, how to practice. You know, in some instances, when you're not 100 percent. If you’re 80 percent, can you give me 100% of 80?
"So, all those things we're kind of going through that process right now. And I think it's going to be something that continues to evolve. We're still building trust. They need to trust us and we need to trust them when they tell us something as well. So long answer to the question is we're still in the process.”
On the return of running back John Emery Jr. after missing the last 15 games because of academic suspension
“We want to get him in the action, but we feel like with the other backs they deserve playing time as well. . .we're excited to get him back. He obviously brings a skill set that we're impressed with, but we can't put too much on him.
“He's big, he's physical, he's going to help us in pass protection, he catches the ball well out of the backfield. But we have to be realistic with our expectations in game one, him coming out of the gates no doubt.”
On the progression of the offensive line
“There's been better communication upfront. We had a very inexperienced center (Garrett Dellinger) that we were trying to really force in a very short window into that position with Garrett. He gave us everything he could. We needed to make a change there to gain a little bit more experience and (Charles) Turner has done a really nice job there. So, we've gained a lot of what we would consider real good communication along the front five there.
“But again, I think they just need time together. You still have a group of guys where we're gonna have new guys playing each and every week. They're rotating in. It's a process right now. They're just going to need to spend more time together.”
On safety Sage Ryan and the expected return of freshman defensive end Quency Wiggins from injury
“Sage has been playing more. I just think consistency and performance for him each and every week is gonna gain him some more playing time. He's showing up in practice with consistent performances.
“He's got to unseat (Greg) Brooks, (Jay) Ward, there's talented guys, It's a deep group back there. So, elevating his performance is what he has to do during the week of practice, and he's doing it and I think you'll see more of him. He's got to be involved in every special team as well. But we like what he's doing.
“Quency is coming off a Lisfranc sprain. We're gonna get him involved in some special teams this week. I wouldn't say he's 100 percent. He's probably, you know, somewhere 80, 85%. But he's going to play this week and help us in some special teams. And I think by next week, he should be close to 100 percent.”
On sophomore offensive lineman Xavier Hill
“He is eligible to play this week. So, he'll be in the rotation. He'll be in the depth (chart), I'm not saying that he'll be playing for us, but he's in our depth. He's gonna be working at one of the guard positions.”
On MSU’s running game
“They run it effectively. If the numbers are equal, if there are five (MSU) offensive linemen for your five (defensive) guys, they're gonna do really well running the football. So, you've got to mix it up. You've got to be able to go six (linemen)-for-five (linemen) times and that's going to give them an opportunity to throw the football. It's a numbers game. And you can't just sit in one look. If you do, you're gonna get gouged."
On MSU’s defensive front
"It’s a moving defense, it's not static. They're always moving. There's different looks. With all that movement, we're big upfront (defensively) and we've got to do a great job of matching that movement. With multiple looks, guys that can play standing out or putting their hand on the ground, you're going to get different defensive structures. And I think that in itself is the nature of this defense. That makes it difficult.”