Culture Shifting in Baton Rouge, Brian Kelly's Process Working
It’s no secret this program wasn’t where they were supposed to be in their season opening loss to the Florida State Seminoles. Out of sorts and undisciplined, it looked like a team that was certainly preparing for a rebuilding year in Brian Kelly’s first season with LSU, but positive growth has continued to shine ever since.
Fast forward to Week 8 against Ole Miss and this team has done a complete turnaround in two months. With victories over Mississippi State and Florida along the way, it’s remarkable what this program has evolved into.
“I knew the DNA in the team from the very beginning, you know, you go back all the way to Florida State where we’re down and we fought all the way back in that game and obviously we didn’t execute an extra point. But that team was poised to win that game,” Kelly said following the Ole Miss win.
“I kind of knew what we were about in that very first game that we played. It’s been who they are from the very, very first time that I stepped on this campus with this team is that they have fought in them."
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The Tigers, led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, have turned up the intensity on offense and become a juggernaut on that side of the ball.
In Daniels’ last two games, he has accounted for 11 total touchdowns, propelling this offense to heights many thought LSU couldn’t reach.
Following the win over Ole Miss, Daniels and Coach Kelly had an embrace that took the attention of many. Hugging one another following a victory over a top 10 opponent, they’re beginning to get in a groove.
“This was a big game in a lot of ways because it was — this needed to be that, we’re reaching that level of consistency in performance and I think we both knew that if he was able to solidify another performance of similar quality, that we were off and running,” Kelly said of the embrace with Daniels.
“I think we both looked at each other and said, ‘Alright, let’s go. It’s time.' I think we both felt the same way that he’s in a very good place where he can run this offense now and he feels very comfortable with it and he’s ready to do really good things for us.”
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The Tigers, who sit atop the SEC West at 6-2, are in a position many were unsure they could reach this season. Labeled as a “rebuild” year, consecutive conference wins have certainly shifted the outlook on this year.
With a chance to knock off rival Alabama next weekend, Nov. 5, in Tiger Stadium following a bye week to rest up, LSU is sitting in an extraordinary position as we reach November.
“October is for pretenders. November is for contenders,” Kelly told the team Saturday night.
