Coming off its first road win of the year, LSU is returning home this week to face Tennessee. This is LSU’s toughest test so far this season, with Tennessee currently ranked No. 8 in the country.
Leading up to the game, Brian Kelly addressed the media, recapping last week’s game and previewing the week ahead. Here are some of the takeaways.
Injury Update
Going into yet another big conference game, Kelly also gave a few injury updates following the game with Auburn. First and foremost, after being taken off on a stretcher, Sevyn Banks was able to return to the sidelines later in the game. His injury ended up being a bruised spinal cord, the same injury currently being dealt with by Major Burns.
“The diagnosis is a spinal cord grooves, which puts them similar to Major Burns’ situation where there was a bruise, nothing else, no structural issues,” Kelly said. “That’s probably going to take five, six weeks before we can get him back. Now Major Burns starts so talk about similar patterns here. Major Burns starts running today. He’ll be outside running with us. Next week, he’ll be getting non-contact drills with us. So there’ll be a similar protocol and procedure [for Banks] provided there’s no setbacks along the way.”
The other notable injury from Saturday’s game was at the quarterback spot with Jayden Daniels. Daniels suffered a knee injury and missed the end of the game, making way for Garrett Nussmeier. Despite Daniels not finishing the game, Kelly says he will be available to play this week.
“It’s not structural at all, but it’s painful and so he was in pain,” Kelly said. “It just felt like he was hurting the team being out there. But he felt good yesterday, the exam was clean. We did an MRI just to make sure. And that came back clean. So he’s now in a pretty good position where he feels like he’s 100%.”
Passing Game
The passing game has been a huge talking point for most of the season, especially since Saturday’s game against Auburn. The Tigers completed less than 40% of their passes last weekend for a total of 85 yards. Kelly discussed Daniels’ struggles, Kayshon Boutte’s lack of involvement and the overabundance of drops last weekend.
Following Saturday’s game, Kelly reiterated that Daniels remains the starting quarterback, and that likely won’t change as long as he stays healthy. That expectation was affirmed when Kelly mentioned Daniels having knee pain throughout the game against Auburn, citing that as the reason he was ultimately taken out of the game.
Kelly stated that he was dealing with knee pain caused by a bursa sac, or bursitis. While that isn’t a structural condition, it is painful and was difficult enough to deal with to warrant his removal from the game. He says Daniels felt good yesterday, and an MRI was done on his knee which came back clean of injury.
When it comes to his performance on the field prior to his removal and the passing game overall, Kelly stated that performing like that would not be sustainable going forward if they expect to beat Tennessee. He also stated that it was not all on Daniels, mentioning the coaching staff and receivers having things they could improve upon.
“We have to prepare better, [and] our fundamentals have to be better,” Kelly said on the passing game. “This is on all of us together that we need to get better, and the recognition and awareness that 85 yards is not going to get it done.”
He mentioned player preparation, attention to detail and their own game plan as other things they need to improve. But one thing he touched on that’s not a problem but has been heavily discussed by the media and fans was Boutte’s lack of involvement throughout the season.
Boutte has less than 100 yards and zero touchdowns in four games, but his attitude surrounding the team has been anything but negative. He was happy about the win, which was displayed in an Instagram livestream from Jayden Daniels on Saturday and mentioned by Kelly.
Kelly said that not getting the ball thrown his way much isn’t on him. He’s still building trust with a new quarterback, and that’s difficult to do when you’re constantly drawing double teams from opposing secondaries. If he wasn’t still considered one of the most dangerous receivers in the country that wouldn’t be the case, and Kelly believes his draft stock will remain unaffected.
“Numbers are numbers, and at the end of the day, he’s going to continue to play this game at the next level and the numbers won’t dictate where he gets drafted,” Kelly said on Boutte. “When you turn on the film and he’s running full speed and beating guys, and the ball didn’t come to him for some whatever reason, that’s out of his control.”
Matchup with Tennessee
As usual, one of the main talking points of this week’s press conference was the upcoming matchup, this week with Tennessee. Kelly was quick to note that they must improve from last week going into this game. He credited the team’s effort, but said they will need more than that going forward.
“They’ll fight but heart and fight will not win games against the opponents that we’re going to have over the next month or so,” Kelly said. “We’re gonna have to have better execution, we’re gonna have to coach better. And those things we’re going to have to be on display starting this weekend against an outstanding Tennessee football team.”
Tennessee comes into this game undefeated at 4-0, and has one of the best offenses in all of college football. The Volunteers currently lead the country in total offense, putting up an insane 559.2 yards per game. They’re also tied for second in the country in scoring, averaging 48.5 points per game.
Outside of just the offense, Kelly credited Tennessee’s strength and balance in all three phases. Though the defense hasn’t been as consistent as the offense, the Volunteers still have playmakers there. They’re also solid on special teams, and balanced in how they handle their kicking.
“They’re rolling guys in and out. So I think a team that is deserving of the ranking. They’ve earned it,” Kelly said. “They’re talented on both sides of the ball, special teams aggressive. I think that something like 15 kickoffs and half go to the right half go to the left. That’s a very talented kicking team. So a great challenge for our group, one that we’re looking forward to.”
