The Grove Report

Brian Kelly Details Need for LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Football To Play Better Defense

Kelly stressed the need for the Bayou Bengals and Rebels to play better defense against each other, details importance.
Zack Nagy|
Tigers head coach Brian Kelly on the sideline as the LSU Tigers take on the Oklahoma Sooners. Nov 30, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium.
Tigers head coach Brian Kelly on the sideline as the LSU Tigers take on the Oklahoma Sooners. Nov 30, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium. | SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Ole Miss RebelsLSU Tigers

The Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers have played a pair of thrillers across the last two seasons in their annual rivalry game.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers captured a victory in the latest matchup, but the program's shot-caller isn't satisfied yet.

The 55-49 nail-biter in 2023 was nothing short of electric followed by a 29-26 overtime battle a year ago in Baton Rouge, but Kelly wants to see more from both programs.

“Well when I think of the Ole Miss games, I think of we all want to play better defense,” Kelly said. “They’ve been great offensive games, right? I mean we made an incredible comeback and won that game in overtime. The year before it was a track meet.”

The Ole Miss Rebels have trended in the right direction defensively with coordinator Pete Golding at the helm, but as for the LSU Tigers, it's been a slow work in progress.

Kelly detailed the improvement Lane Kiffin's crew has pieced together with the LSU program looking to get to a "championship-level" defense in 2025.

“It’s a game that our fanbase loves to play, against Ole Miss,” Kelly said. “But I think we would both say that we’re looking to play championship-level defense.

"I think Ole Miss was closer to that last year with the group that they put together. Now it’s our job to put together a championship defense at LSU, and I think we’re closer to that.”

After splitting the matchups in 2023 and 2024, Kiffin and Co. will look to take home a victory this fall at Vaught-Hemingway in Oxford.

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Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Ole Miss Rebels On SI, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Rebel Football, Baseball, Basketball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving Ole Miss athletics. Nagy has covered the Southeastern Conference for over half a decade after being born and raised in New Orleans (La.).

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