LSU was already in the AP Top 10 before the season began.
Then the Tigers had one of the most impressive season openers of anyone by defeating preseason No. 4 Clemson 17-10 on the road.
That vaulted LSU from No. 9 to No. 3 as the Tigers prepare to play Louisiana Tech in their home opener Saturday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The win over Clemson ended a five-year losing streak in season openers and established LSU as a legitimate national championship contender, at least as much as a team can appear in early September.
But Tigers coach Brian Kelly’s focus this season is on keeping his team focused on going 1-0 each week.
“Clemson is a darn good football team, but it’s only one game,” Kelly said. “We have a standard of playing football at LSU, and we have to play to that standard every Saturday. We’re going to be demanding of our players because our expectation is to do the same things each and every week.”
Kelly said the Tigers didn’t do a good job of that last season when they followed a 27-20 loss to USC with a sloppy 44-21 victory against FCS opponent Nicholls in the home opener.
The biggest questions facing LSU going into the season surrounded its offensive line and its defense as a whole.
Both LSU and Clemson played extremely well, although the Tigers outrushed Clemson 108-31. LSU also protected Garrett Nussmeier, who threw for 232 yards (completing 28 of 38) and a tie-breaking touchdown in the fourth quarter, while the defense limited Clemson to 261 yards.
“We’ve put an emphasis on running the ball better and being more balanced on offense,” Kelly said.
Linebacker Harold Perkins, who missed most of last season due to knee surgery, returned to the form he showed as a freshman All-American in 2022, finishing with five tackles, two quarterback hurries and a sack.
“That didn’t happen overnight,” Kelly said of the defensive improvement. “It started in January with the discipline within our program, and it carried over into the way we played. The players have been trusting what we’ve been telling them, and now they’re going out there and doing it.”
Louisiana Tech wasn’t quite as impressive as the Tigers in its opener, but it had a good start nonetheless.
The Bulldogs allowed just 3.6 yards per play, had four sacks and forced three turnovers in a 24-0 home victory over Southeastern Louisiana.
“Any time you get a shutout, it’s a big deal,” Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Cumbie said.
The offense managed just 262 yards, but Trey Kukuk threw for 126 yards and a touchdown and had a team-high 16 rushing attempts for 48 yards.
However, the Bulldogs are advancing to a higher class this week.
“College football is such a big business, and whenever money is behind something, you’re going to have separation between those who have a lot of money and those who don’t have as much,” Cumbie said. “When you play games like this, what you try to do is focus on playing your best and improving.”
