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Brian Kelly looks ahead to game against Razorbacks after nail-biting overtime win over Ole Miss
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BATON ROUGE — The LSU Tiger football team is back in action on Saturday after a nail-biting overtime win against Ole Miss.
Head coach Brian Kelly met with the media Monday to discuss the win and to preview Saturday's away game against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The close win over Ole Miss is quite poetic after the Tigers lost in a close game in Oxford last year. Kelly has blamed last year's loss on the defense's performance during multiple appearances this season, saying that the team was not able to effectively close out games.
This year, he praised the defense's major improvements, a transformation he has teased since LSU overhauled its defensive coaching staff. Part of the high praise Kelly handed to his defense was the six sacks made against Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, making LSU's defense the most effective defense against Dart and the Rebels.
"The fundamentals of playing good defense were in place and we were able to do things once we got into predictable downs and distances," Kelly said.
On the other side of the ball, Kelly celebrated the offensive line and their protection of Garrett Nussmeier. The LSU quarterback was not sacked once.
Kelly added that Nussmeier's hypermobile playstyle during the game, including two run options for 16 yards, showed that he "can run" and "will run."
"It was a great learning experience for him," Kelly said.
LSU's offense, however, was limited in what it could do against Ole Miss, Kelly said. Ole Miss was able to restrict LSU's running play to 84 yards on 24 carries, something Kelly said came as a result of running unsuccessful plays across the board. Kelly said that LSU is not at the 65% success rate — meaning plays of at least four yards or crucial conversions — on rushing that he would like to see.
Nussmeier also threw two interceptions that Kelly said could have been prevented by Nussmeier being cleaner and more disciplined.
Nussmeier ultimately won the game with a pass to Kyren Lacy. Moments after the overtime pass connected, LSU fans from across the stadium began storming the field, an experience Kelly has experienced twice before as LSU head coach in 2022 — once against Ole Miss.
"It's always a result of a good thing," Kelly said. "(But) it's not comfortable. You're in a mass of people and you're moving through a crowd of people, worrying someone's going to be knocked down."
He said that he and his staff loved the fact that they won the game and there was a celebration for "an incredible victory," but what comes next — being rushed off the field — is concerning to Kelly.
"It's quite frankly unsettling," he said.
Moving into Saturday's matchup in Fayetteville, Kelly said the team is going to have to be prepared for Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and an effective offense that was able to beat Tennessee on Oct. 5.
Kelly said that Arkansas runs a very diverse run scheme, adding that Petrino makes a big difference in distinguishing this Arkansas team from previous teams the Tigers have faced.
Kelly briefly commented on a lawsuit levied by former LSU safety Greg Brooks Jr. that claims LSU and Kelly's staff acted negligently in diagnosing his brain tumor that has left him disabled. Kelly said that lawsuits are unfortunate and come out every day, but he extended his condolences to Brooks and his family.
"It doesn't change the way we feel about Greg," Kelly said. "And our support is gonna be there."
The Tigers are 5-1 following the win over Ole Miss and are currently ranked No. 8 in the country in the latest Associated Press poll released on Sunday.
The Tigers face off against the Razorbacks on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Fayetteville.
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