Everything LSU Coach Brian Kelly Said After Beating Alabama 32-31 in Overtime

Tigers beat the Crimson Tide at home in Death Valley for the first time since 2010, but needed overtime to do so.

Author:
Christopher Walsh
Publish date:
Nov 6, 2022 2:21 AM EST

In this story:

Alabama Crimson Tide

No. 10 LSU saw an opportunity to beat No. 6 Alabama. The Tigers didn’t pass it up.

Instead, first-year head coach Brian Kelly elected to attempt a two-point conversion while trailing 31-30 in the first overtime period in the south end of Tiger Stadium.

Here's everything Kelly said during his postgame press conference:

"Well first pretty excited locker room in there as you can imagine. So proud of my football team and in the way they just took it one play at a time. It's for me just to see them grow, this was the next stage in development of our football team and that they needed to just not think about outcome and think about one play at a time, get to the next play, focus, refocus, and that was that was the charge all week. Many people have talked about not getting off to a good start and all those things, how do you change that, and so we're really we're talking so much more about just locking in mentally on one play at a time, don't think about the scoreboard, and I thought they did a great job.

"The second thing that I'd like to bring up is the crowd was unbelievable. They created an energy unlike one that I can remember that was sustainable for our football team. That was truly a home-field advantage for us.

"And then I thought tactically we played smart. The last thing. You know we were able to pin Alabama and poor field position most of the first half and made it difficult for them. I thought we just played smart we didn't turn the football over. We had the one play where we came out of coverage late. Other than that I think our guys played really smart football.

"So you know the basic tenants of winning games like this is one play at a time, play tactically smart, take care of the football, you know? I thought we did all those things and really grew up today."

On the two-point conversion decision:

"It was a decision at that moment. I just felt as I thought about it, you know if we could boil this game down to one play, and win this game ... Before the game started if you had asked me, 'Hey I'm going to give you one play and if you're successful on that one play you beat Alabama, I'm taking that 100 times out of 100. And so at that moment it kind of hit me that way and I knew we had a really good play that we hadn't used, and they hadn't seen. When you get five out on the perimeter, you know you truly have a threat, and so I felt really good about the play and it was well executed and that was the thought behind it."

On quarterback Jayden Daniels:

"Look we're not here unless our quarterback plays really well. Whether it's pee-wee football, or you know high school football, college football, or the NFL, the quarterback has to play well. He did some really amazing things and in particular late, right. I mean he made plays late when he needed to. He ran when he needed to. He threw it and made big plays. But now look, this is a team game. We did some great things defensively. Our special teams was was good. Look, to beat a top-ten team again at home, and beat Alabama, you you have to have a complete football game."

What makes your pass rushers, Harold Perkins and B.J. Ojulari so effective together?

"Well l I think it's just about really putting eleven of your best players on the field at the same time, more than anything else. I don't know that there's anything tactically that says those two guys. I think it's just the collection of getting your best eleven guys on the field. Harold still learning, right? I mean there's there's things that you don't see that you know we have to adjust when he comes over on the sideline. But there's some things that he does that you can't coach, either. So there's the pluses and the minuses there, but clearly when he's on the field he's he's making plays, and he's productive."

On the team's growth since the Florida State loss:

"Look, I knew I knew after the Florida State game that that we were going to get better. I knew this football team was going to be a better team in November. But I don't think that I've ever in my career kind of looked at the crystal ball and kind of said 'Hey this is how many wins we're going to get,' or 'How many losses?' What I did know is they had fight in them after the Florida State game. The way they came back, the way they battled. You know we got an extra point blocked, that's that's on me. Like it wasn't on them. So I knew I knew that there were good days ahead for this group. How they have worked out. And that's kind of why I went for it. I'm willing to do anything to this group because I think that they have shown that they'll make it happen some way, and they did again tonight."

On the two freshmen offensive tackles, and how they did against Alabama's pass-rushers:

"I don't know how they do it to be honest with you. It's amazing. They have a mental toughness that is unusual for their age and lack of experience. They just are so strong mentally that they can go back after, you know Campbell gives up a sack and he comes to the sideline and he can he can explain to me precisely what happened and the steps that he's going to take that it never happens again for the rest of his life. I'm like well we're good, we're good here. Just get to the next play. But that's how unusual those two freshmen are. They are so focused on doing their job and doing it well, it's quite unusual."

On Major Burns chasing down Jase McClellan to save a touchdown:

"Better chase him down, you're supposed to be inside out on him. You know it was an angle route and he's supposed to be inside-out leverage he got over the top, cut back inside, and yeah, he did a great job of getting to him and tracking him down, and subsequently holds them to a field goal."

On the job quarterbacks Joe Sloan has done with Daniels:

No. I'm not talking about Joe (laughing). Yeah and the work that he's done, no. He wants to run for governor, Joe, so he's got a career in politics. Joe's been amazing. He really has he's fun to work with. I enjoy being in the room with him. But he's obviously been instrumental in the development of of Jayden and the quarterbacks, and has done a terrific job. Absolutely. Thank you for bringing it up."

On defensive coordinator Matt House with so many transfers and freshmen playing:

"I think you know that's that's one of these things that I think when we look back on it, remember now we're talking about 15 to 17 transfers and getting them to communicate effectively from different backgrounds and not knowing a system of defense. People talk about the Florida State game, we had seven or eight communication busts in that game where guys were just trying to learn how to get the signals down. And to watch that growth has been really fun because Matt's personality and demeanor is such that you know he can go up to a guy and coach him and demand it, but never be demeaning. I think that just says a lot about his style."

On the gutsy two-point conversion call:

"Well look, you're going to get second guessed if you don't get it. I get that. But to me I just felt like ... I looked at our team, I assessed the situation and I just felt like it was the right thing to do. I felt like you know, I don't know that our our fans would have been criticizing. They want me to get the win, that's what I'm here for. But I think if you look at it, and you say well let's let's get the quarterback in a good play, let's get him on the edge, let's let's utilize his talents, that you really can't quarrel with the decision. So I don't know that it was that much of a a huge decision from that perspective."

On the controversial fumble call, what were you told by the officials?

"They said that he had not gained full possession, and because of that when the ball was then slapped out of his hands the tight end was out of bounds. So therefore there was no recovery and the ball."

On pass interference call and the review on if the ball was tipped:

"They said that there was not clear, it was not clear and definitive that there was a tip from from the replay official."

You said you came to LSU in part to beat Nick Saban. What does if feel like?

"So you know that's a sound bite, right? I mean this is really about building a program and doing it week in and week out, and we're here to graduate champions. We want to win a championship and now we've put ourselves in a position where in November we're contenders for the SEC championship. But we've got Arkansas next. We're gonna enjoy this win over the next 24 hours and then we're gonna get ready for Arkansas. So yeah that was a bit of a press conference sound bite. But it's really about building a program here at LSU that graduates its players and wins championships, and that's why I'm here."

On the specifics of the two-point conversion:

"It's a play that gives you options at the quarterback position. We're in a sprint out. The ball was in the middle of the field. It gives you the option if they are going to blitz inside you're out on the perimeter. If they come off the edge you've got the ability to get the ball out of hand quickly. If they play bracket coverage, and they want to double out the receivers, you got a quarterback now on the perimeter, very dangerous. So it's kind of one of those catch-all plays where it's your best player with the ball in his hands, on the perimeter, where he can make multiple decisions. And I felt like if we're going to go for two let let's get him moving and give him multiple options, and he'll kind of sort it out and make the play necessary."

Were you kind of emotional right after the game?

"I was. Because that was such a great game, I mean, and I had never beaten Alabama. So yeah (someone yells out 'me too'). That's my friend Pam. She's hasn't beaten Alabama either. She's been with me.

"Those things are kind of like you want to check the box and move on. So yeah, you get a little emotional about those, and I was emotional not for myself but I was emotional for our team because I know what we looked like in January and to see where we are today that's pretty emotional.

"Right, thank you."