Nov. 29, 2021, feels like a lifetime ago now.

In that time, LSU football has seen a complete upheaval of its program, starting with the hiring of Brian Kelly. Though many supported LSU in the hire, there was still a fair bit of criticism at the time, and that criticism has followed Kelly through his first year at LSU. Now, eight games into the season, LSU is 6-2, ranked No. 18 in the country and is tied for first place in the SEC West. 

From dancing videos with recruits, to a rumored fake Southern accent and many other criticisms, many believed Kelly wasn’t a good “fit” at LSU. Concerns were raised about whether a coach from a Catholic school in the Midwest could fit the culture down in Louisiana.

Throughout that long offseason filled with talk, criticism and still a fair amount of praise, LSU fans and college football fans knew that the real talk would start when Kelly would lead the Tigers on the field for the first time.

Kelly and LSU had a chance to quiet the noise on the field, but a disappointing loss to Florida State to start the season only made it deafening.

Through all of the noise though, the team never seemed fazed. LSU handled business against Southern, setting up a big SEC matchup with Mississippi State, in which the Tigers came away with a 31-16 win.

LSU then beat New Mexico, putting momentum back at a high. Then the next gut punch came.

Tennessee humbled LSU at home 40-13, which felt like a game where LSU was reminded of the work still ahead for the program.

The Tigers had no time to blink, though. A gauntlet in the SEC was ahead of them, with back-to-back games against Florida and Univ. of Mississippi before the bye week.

But then, the momentum came back. LSU’s offense came alive against Florida, securing a vital road win and setting up an even bigger matchup at home against Ole Miss.

In that game against Ole Miss, LSU got off to yet another slow start. But much like multiple other games this year, the Tigers stormed back. After going down 17-3, LSU then outscored Ole Miss 42-3, on its way to a dominant 45-20 win.

“The last three quarters, we played great football. And that’s, at the end of the day, when you have a top team coming in, that’s why you come down to LSU,” said Kelly after the game.

The game itself was arguably the best LSU has played all year. Quarterback Jayden Daniels continued his impressive play from last week, throwing for 248 yards and two touchdowns, and running for another 137 yards and three touchdowns.

“We have found our rhythm,” Daniels said. “The biggest thing in the offensive unit is trust, and we all trust each other. I am going to give them the ball where they can go out there and make a play, and they trust me to put it in the right spot.”

The offense put up 500 yards in what was another impressive, balanced game. Led by Daniels, LSU as a team ran for 252 yards with Josh Williams and Armoni Goodwin also contributing.

Defensively, LSU stifled Ole Miss in the second half. The Tigers held the Rebels’ potent rushing attack to just 117 yards. They also gave Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart problems in the second half, creating pressure and forcing an interception that turned the game on its head in the third quarter.

With that win, Kelly has his first top-10 win as LSU’s head coach and his first signature win. With all the questions surrounding how he’d fit with the culture, wins like this are the fastest way to fit in with any culture. When asked about whether the win validated his decision to come to LSU however, Kelly was more focused on what the win means for the players.

“I think that’s probably the furthest thing from my mind,” Kelly said. “I’m so excited for our players. I used this analogy before, they jumped in 100% with a whole new way of doing things for me, and I’m just so pleased that they’re seeing positive results because of it. I think that that’s what I’m most excited about.”

A bye week will set the Tigers up with the biggest game of them all, a showdown in Tiger Stadium against Alabama.

For now, though, Kelly’s rebuild is going quicker than many expected. His team has answered the call at each point of adversity, which has it sitting in a position to control its own destiny in the SEC. 

That’s a far cry from where the program was after week one, and even further from where it was when Kelly was hired. Kelly continues to acknowledge that the rebuild is far from complete, but another big win has things moving ahead of schedule.