LSU football enters the SEC Championship as three-score underdogs against Georgia, but if they're going to buck those odds, they'll need their play-makers to do it.
That looks like it will be the case, Brian Kelly said Thursday, most importantly as it pertains to Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels, who went down multiple times with an ankle injury in the loss to Texas A&M and began the week in a walking boot.
"He's had a good week of practice," Kelly said, "and he'll play for us on Saturday."
But it's not only Daniels, even if he is the star that stirs the drink. Starting running back Josh Williams was inactive against A&M due to injury, and he's had a positive week of practice. John Emery Jr. logged a career-high three touchdowns in relief, and he'll likely continue to be involved.
"[Williams is] such a physical runner and, you know, plays so hard," Kelly said. "His physical exertion and effort is one where, you know, he's not a guy that's gonna go at less than 100%. So I think yesterday was really the first time where I felt like, OK, we've got Josh back to where he needs to be to be confident and effective."
Finally, cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse has cleared the concussion protocol and he'll be active as well. It all adds up to as full strength of a Tigers team as could've been hoped for at the time you needed it. That's the message Kelly wants to hammer, and he's really not interested in anything else.
He knows there's no hiding from social media, the kids won't be living under a rock. But shock the world narratives aren't on his mind even entering a game as 17.5-point underdogs, it's about going out for the biggest game of the year and finding a way to win it.
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"What we've tried to do is get them to think the right things about what's important in their preparation. And if you think that you get into the right emotional zone because you're an underdog, well, that's fine," Kelly said. "But it's still about your mental, your physical, your technical and tactical preparation. And whether you're an underdog or a favorite, that has nothing to do with your total preparation. And that's that's how we try to get our guys to think."
MORE FROM BRIAN KELLY
HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THE TWO-TE OFFENSE?
Georgia has elite weapons at virtually every position, but the truly unique element of the Bulldogs offense comes with two elite tight ends that will often be on the field at the same time. In many instances, an offense that puts out two tight ends will be doing so to run ... not so with the Bulldogs.
Brock Bowers leads the team with 46 catches for 645 yards and five TDs, and the 6-7, 270-pound behemoth Darnell Washington is 4th on the team with 25 catches for 403 yards and a TD.
"Yeah, I mean, you have to gameplan for them or they're going to wreck your day, I mean, it's just as simple as I can get it. ... They're difficult to defend. So you have to have a game plan. If you don't, you're going to have some problems."
...
"This is the classic case of an offense that uses players over plays. And that's good coaching, right? You're, you're not going to carry a scheme just because, well, this is the scheme we run. I think it's an outstanding quarterback [Stetson Bennett] who's extremely confident and gets the ball to the guys that have been making plays. And so this offense has been successful because the coordinator is leading them and Kirby is leading them towards you know, get the guy the ball that makes plays for us, and that's in the running game, too."
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WHAT GIVES LSU A HIGHER CEILING THAN WHAT YOU HAD AT NOTRE DAME?
"There's so many different elements, I think Notre Dame has a great opportunity as well and that's why I was there for 12 years," Kelly said. "We had opportunities, you know, certainly in the College Football Playoff and playing for a national championship. So we were right on the doorstep of playing for championships and winning national championships.
"What's unique about LSU is the in-state recruiting. We didn't have that, certainly, at Notre Dame, it was much more national. So you've got to go into each state and pull out the best players in those states at Notre Dame. Whereas you have it right here in the state of Louisiana. This is the flagship university. Kids want to go to LSU, they grew up wanting to be a Tiger. So you know, there's a bit of an advantage, you know, from that perspective, right out of the gates when it comes to recruiting"
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