LSU football played two 11 a.m. games last season. A crushing 40-13 loss and SEC West-clinching 13-10 win seem like polar opposite games on paper. In both instances, though, LSU was far from its best.

Now in 2023, LSU starts its SEC schedule with an 11 a.m. matchup against Mississippi State in Starkville. It’s LSU’s first 11 a.m. kickoff since securing the SEC West at Arkansas last year, and in a seemingly wide-open SEC West, the upcoming game feels equally important.

“This is what gets everybody’s attention,” head coach Brian Kelly said at his Monday press conference. “This is really about the challenge of playing on the road, handling the 11 a.m. start, playing a really well coached football team.”

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Early kickoffs, especially on the road, can be challenging for any team. For a team most known for its electric night games at home, it’s easy for an anti-11 a.m. narrative to grow.

For LSU in 2022, though, it was more than just a narrative.

In two 11 a.m. starts last season, LSU scored a combined 26 points. In both games, LSU started slow and never got the offense in rhythm.

In a ranked, 11 a.m. showdown against Tennessee, LSU muffed the opening kickoff before giving up points on each of Tennessee’s first four drives. That, combined with inconsistency on offense, resulted in a 40-13 loss.

In the game that clinched the SEC West for LSU against Arkansas, the Tigers didn’t score a touchdown until the third quarter. Fortunately for LSU, Arkansas never found its offensive rhythm either and that combined with Harold Perkins’ heroics allowed LSU to escape with a 13-10 win.

Against Mississippi State, LSU hopes to start faster.

The difference in preparation happens in multiple stages for early kickoffs, both in practice during the week and the day of the game itself. During practice, Kelly said the team changed the way it starts each practice this week, going straight into team periods rather than the usual routine of starting with individual drills.

This is done to accelerate the team’s preparation and shift toward game speed, according to Kelly.

“You’ve got to turn it on immediately,” Kelly said.

The routine changes on gameday too. For night games, the team has a “shakeout” in the morning, which is a short workout aimed to keep the team loose before the game later in the day. 

That won’t happen Saturday, as the team will have its team meal at 7:20 a.m. before taking an hour bus ride from the hotel to the stadium, according to Kelly.

The change in schedule changes how players prepare for the game. One of those changes is in nutrition, as players will usually only have one meal before an 11 a.m. game, rather than multiple before a night game.

“You’re gonna have to get all your protein in the night before because you have one meal, and then you gotta hit the road early,” LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo said.

For some players, though, early kickoffs are seen as a positive since it means less waiting around all day for the game. 

“I feel like it’s better, though. Because waiting until 7 p.m. to play a game you’re just waiting in the hotel like, ‘Bruh, I’m ready to go,’” LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers said.

Nabers also talked about the importance of good sleep the night before an early game. While that may sound obvious, he admitted that it’s not always easy to sleep with the jitters of playing a game the next day, but that sleep is extra important for an early game.

Having played in multiple 11 a.m. games in his career, Nabers wants to lean on his experience to lead and help the younger players through the routine.

“As a leader, I gotta lead by example,” Nabers said. “So, getting the guys in bed early, just stuff like that, because you gotta be up early.”

Against a Mississippi State team that plays a physical style on both sides of the ball, starting fast and not being affected by the early start will be important. LSU knows from last season what those slow starts can mean, and the challenge is one that Kelly and the team understand.

“We’ve got a challenge in special teams. We’ve got a challenge in facing a veteran quarterback and outstanding running back and certainly the challenge that the defense brings in terms of its scheme and then going on the road to Starkville and the early start and all those things that you have to overcome,” Kelly said.