After a dominant home opening win over Southern University, LSU football has now shifted its focus to SEC play.
The Tigers welcome Mississippi State to Baton Rouge Saturday, with the Bulldogs entering the game undefeated at 2-0. The game against Southern was an opportunity for LSU to fix some of its issues and get its momentum back after the loss to Florida State. Head Coach Brian Kelly addressed this and more at his Monday press conference.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
The quarterback performance
Even after the win, the biggest thing that stood out in the game against Southern was the contrast in quarterback performances. Jayden Daniels, Garrett Nussmeier and Walker Howard all played in this game, with Daniels and Nussmeier earning the majority of the snaps.
Daniels finished the game 10 for 11 with 138 yards and a touchdown. He was near flawless while he was on the field. Nussmeier’s performance was a different story, finishing 13 for 23 with 183 yards and two interceptions. Kelly was complimentary of Daniels’ performance and how he was able to move the ball.
“You start with efficiency with Daniels,” Kelly said. “His ability to keep eight drives alive consecutively in turn them into touchdowns. So I think there’s still growth there. And he would tell you that if you were standing there, there’s still growth and recognition.”
When talking about Nussmeier’s performance Kelly talked about eliminating turnovers and keeping him from pressing.
“You’d never want to have a moment where you turn the ball over,” Kelly said. “But he did some really good things. And we have to build off of that. And I think he is somebody that when you’re in that number two position, I’m not here to make excuses for him, you press a little bit.”
John Emery returns
After a two-game suspension, Kelly confirmed that running back John Emery Jr. will be back this week. Emery missed time due to academic issues from last year, and Kelly expressed the team’s excitement in having him back.
“Yeah, we’re excited about getting John back,” Kelly said. “It’s been a long run for John in terms of getting a chance to get out and play for LSU. He’s worked hard to get back into this position. And now he gets an opportunity.”
However, Kelly did make it clear that they would not rush Emery immediately back into heavy action.
“Let’s be careful now, he’s been off for a while,” Kelly said. “So, to put a lot of expectations on him in the first game, we certainly can’t do that, we’ve got other backs that have done really well. But he will be part of the mix. And make no mistake about it. We’ve seen his capabilities in camp; we’ve kept him active within our rotations. So he’s ready to play.”
The offensive line
Another talking point surrounding the Southern game was the performance of the offensive line. LSU did some shuffling in this game, putting Charles Turner in the lineup at center, moving Garrett Dellinger to left guard and moving Miles Frazier to right tackle to replace Cam Wire. Kelly confirmed that this will be the line up they’ll stick with moving forward.
“We’re pleased with that starting five. I think you can expect to see that moving forward,” Kelly said. Emery Jones was another player on the line who emerged in the last game, and Kelly highlighted him as someone who will continue to contribute.
“I think there are some guys that I think distinguish themselves,” Kelly said. “The two freshmen, Emery Jones played well, I think you’ll see more of him in the rotation.”
The matchup with Mississippi State
Mississippi State coming to Tiger Stadium this week marks Kelly’s first SEC game as LSU head coach. It’s also his first time facing Mike Leach and his air raid scheme. Kelly praised Leach and his scheme, and emphasized how important preparation will be this week.
“Our preparation has to be even better, more detailed, playing Mississippi State,” Kelly said. “It starts with the offense. It is a precision offense, is extremely well coached and there is a level of, I would say patience and persistence that you need on defense. Because if you’re trying to disrupt it in one fashion, there are answers that they have. And the answers are tried and true and tested.”
LSU is all too familiar with how dangerous the Leach offense can be after allowing former Mississippi State quarterback KJ Costello to throw for over 600 yards the last time the two teams met in Tiger Stadium. Current quarterback Will Rogers leads the SEC in passing yards.
Kelly gave credit to the Mississippi State defense as well, noting that LSU must be efficient on offense.
“You have to look at efficiency over anything else,” Kelly said. “So if we’re efficient on offense, we’re fine playing with tempo. If we’re not, it’s immaterial. Because if you’re not efficient in what you did, you’re giving them easy possessions.”
