LSU head coach Brian Kelly said in a press conference last year that if LSU is going to pay a school to play them, it should be an in-state school.
Accordingly, LSU football opens its 2025 home slate against Louisiana Tech. The Tigers are coming off a historic 17-10 win over Clemson, but that doesn’t mean that this Tech team is going to lie down on Saturday.
“When you get a chance to open on the road and have some success, you build a lot of momentum,” Kelly said. “But then you take a look at the opportunity to play at home, it heightens it even more.”
During a press conference on Tuesday, LA Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie spoke about the upcoming game against LSU, and there’s no lack of trying to turn the season on its head in Week 2.
“In all these games, your margin for error is very small, and you have to maximize your opportunities,” Cumbie said. “How we do that is just to be our best. That’s what I ask our kids, is to be your best and our best and go out and play Saturday night.”
LSU’s win over Clemson was the first season-opening win for Kelly at LSU, and Week 2 might have a lot to say about the rest of the season for the Bayou Bengals.
Historically, the Bulldogs and Tigers have faced off 20 times, with LSU taking all but one game. The last time the two teams faced was in 2018, when LSU took a comfortable 38-21 victory.
The real shock came when the two cross-state foes faced off in 1904.
The first time the purple and gold faced the blue and red that season was in Baton Rouge; LA Tech was shut out by LSU 17-0. They met again in Ruston later the same year, and the Bulldogs pulled off the upset by squeezing out a 6-0 victory.
Every other meeting has gone in favor of LSU, but that doesn’t mean Saturday is going to be a guaranteed win.
Much like Kelly, Cumbie’s move to LA Tech was a jump to an unfamiliar conference. Cumbie spent time as a coach at Texas Tech and TCU before heading to Ruston, while Kelly came from Notre Dame.
Both head coaches are meeting for the first time with a wealth of knowledge, both in and out of state. The motivation they’re drawing from their players is going to be crucial to see how Saturday night in Death Valley plays out.
During Kelly’s Tuesday press conference, he said that the team’s mantra for the season is 1-0, and he’s leaning on that big time each week throughout the season.
“We celebrated for 24 hours,” Kelly said. “We came in and had recovery on Sunday. Monday, we went back to work, put that behind us and focused on Louisiana Tech, and we want to go 1-0.”
LA Tech’s mindset is similar going into this game. Cumbie said it doesn’t matter who the next opponent is, he’s going to encourage his guys to play their best at all times.
He also said that he hasn’t said anything about the predicted score differential, and his goal is to run the week as normal — no matter the predicted outcome on Saturday. With that being said, he knows the matchup will be a “huge challenge.”
“Defensively, they’re big and fast and really don’t have any weakness from a personnel standpoint,” Cumbie said. “They flew around the football really well against Clemson. Offensively, explosive in the skill positions. Garrett Nussmeier is probably the best quarterback in the country.”
Both the Tigers and the Bulldogs are coming off big wins in Week 1, so only time will tell how the home team will hold up against in-state competition. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6.
