"Heck Yeah" LSU Coach Brian Kelly Says He's Looking Forward to Playing Alabama
The theme of the bye week for Brian Kelly's LSU squad is "recovery."
But that doesn't mean he isn't eager to square off against Alabama at Tigers Stadium on Nov. 5.
"Heck yeah," Kelly said when asked if he was looking forward to it. "That's why I came to LSU."
Like Alabama, the Tigers are off this week, and Kelly said the team will get on the field a couple of times, but it is also a time to recuperate from the tough schedule the team just endured.
"We've had a long month with four SEC opponents," Kelly said during the SEC Coaches Weekly Media Teleconference. "That's a difficult run for anybody. We get the opportunity that allows us now to prepare ourselves for another run of four consecutive games that are gonna challenge us.
"[We're] looking to accomplish a little more of the mental and physical reset than anything else with this off week."
LSU's stretch run includes a road game in Arkansas against the Razorbacks, a home game against a UAB program not to be taken lightly, and a Texas A&M program that has an equal amount of issues off the field as it does on it. Before the Tigers play any of those teams, however, the first matchup will be a game in Baton Rouge against the Crimson Tide.
The last time these two teams faced off in Baton Rouge was during the COVID season in 2020. Alabama won 55-10 with a limited crowd, and Kelly didn't hold back about playing in a full stadium this time around.
Kelly hopes to have several key contributors back in time for that game: Jack Bech and John Emery Jr. on offense, and Major Burns on defense.
"Major will be non-contact the rest of the week, and he'll be cleared for Monday," Kelly said. "And I asked [Jack] 'What's your feeling on Alabama?', he goes 'No doubt I'll be playing.'"
Kelly also said that Emery is working through an achilles strain, so he is day-to-day.
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