After a huge win over Alabama, LSU looks to refocus for a road trip to Fayetteville. Brian Kelly took the podium yesterday to talk about the win and getting ready for the next week.
Here are some takeaways.
Injury Report
Left guard Garrett Dellinger has been on the injury report since he injured his knee against Tennessee back in Week 6, but it seems like that won’t be the case for much longer. Kelly says they feel great about the prospect of him getting back on the field for this upcoming game at Arkansas.
“Garrett Dellinger looked good; we worked him out yesterday. [Looks] much better,” Kelly said. “I think he’s in a great position, that he could play this weekend.”
Other than that, there wasn’t too much to cover in terms of injuries. Kelly did briefly discuss Armoni Goodwin though, who was on the injury report for a few weeks before returning against Ole Miss.
Goodwin was notably absent throughout most of the game against Alabama, putting up just one carry early in the game, which went for seven yards. Kelly said that there was no reason for concern there, as their game plan against Alabama called for more physical running backs, and Goodwin is more of a speed back.
Josh Williams and John Emery Jr got most of the touches, combining for 17 touches and121 yards and two touchdowns. It’s not crystal clear whether they will harbor the majority of the carries going forward or not, but Kelly was adamant that Goodwin would continue to have a role in the offense.
“Coach [Frank] Wilson has a sense of who he wants to go with, and he felt like he had a one-two combination that he wanted to stick with, a much more physical group in there,” Kelly said. “He wanted a bigger presence in there, but we have great confidence and faith in Armoni and expect to see him continue to help us down the road.”
On the win
The first question Kelly received at yesterday’s presser was in regards to whether the win against Alabama was the biggest win of his career or not. Kelly posed a simple answer:
“The biggest win of my career is going to be when we win a national championship.”
He elaborated by saying that was what he came here to do. He won’t be satisfied until he brings this program a championship, but he was still very excited about the win. For where this group was in January, their progression has been commendable, and Kelly was sure to highlight that at the end of his answer.
“This team achieved a great victory because of where we were in January and what we have become,” Kelly said. “For me, probably as satisfying as a win for a group of guys that have committed themselves to a process, and in that time have achieved a lot.”
The Freshmen
It’s no secret that the freshmen had a huge impact on Saturday.
Mason Taylor’s stats weren’t flashy but when the team needed him most, he delivered. He caught a clutch touchdown pass to put the team up 24-21 with under two minutes to go in regulation before catching the game winning pass on a two-point conversion. Kelly commended his growth over the past year, highlighting how difficult a position tight end is, especially as a freshman at the SEC level.
“I think the growth from a mental standpoint has been in the knowledge of the game. He’s been really good,” Kelly said. “I’d be remiss to not point out the fact that he’s been put in a very difficult position where a tight end has to do a lot.”
Harold Perkins was all over the field for the LSU defense, putting up eight total tackles (three solo), a sack and three quarterback hurries. He, along with team captain BJ Ojulari, was the primary reason Bryce Young looked human at times throughout the game. Kelly credits his early success on his maturity and ability to figure things out as he goes.
“It’s kind of refreshing,” Kelly said on Perkins “He doesn’t need to know all the whys. ‘Just point me in the right direction and I’ll figure it out.’ That’s Harold Perkins.”
While Perkins and Taylor stole the show, the two freshmen on the Tiger offensive line were also largely impactful despite insurmountable odds in facing off against Will Anderson and Dallas Turner. Against some of the best pass rushers in the SEC, Emery Jones and Will Campbell gave up just 2.5 combined sacks.
“The biggest concern we had was their two end pass rushers,” Kelly said on Anderson and Turner. “You’ve got to give credit to the two freshmen. Emery and Will just do an incredible job play in and play out, focusing and refocusing, letting the play go and coming back to the next play and with sustained, all-out effort.”
The fact that a lot of the pieces on a top-10 team are freshmen is a great sign for this team’s future, as each of those players could develop into first-team All-American caliber players by the time they reach their junior year. It could even happen sooner, who knows?
