By RYNE BERTHELOT, Journal Sports
NEW ORLEANS — Brian Kelly won’t get a cupcake for his first game donning purple and gold.
He won’t have to reach far back into his memory for any intel on his opponent, either: Kelly opened the season last year against Florida State, taking a 41-38 overtime thriller that almost embarrassed the then-No. 8-ranked Fighting Irish.
The Tigers’ new head coach has actually faced the Seminoles in three of the past four seasons as coach at Notre Dame.
“Mike Norvell’s done a great job of bringing this program around in the last three years,” Kelly said on Wednesday during the SEC teleconference. “They’ve got a formidable offense, extremely talented on defense with some outstanding athletes, and our guys are ready for that challenge.”
It unfolds tonight with kickoff at 6:44 from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, televised on ABC. A sold-out crowd will be brimming with purple and gold in the Tigers’ second home, where they won national championship games in 2003, 2007 and 2019.
LSU’s run defense figures to be busy after the Seminoles ran on Duquesne for more than 400 yards last week, but that plays directly into the Tigers’ biggest advantage: a seasoned, daunting defensive line anchored by Maason Smith, BJ Ojulari, Ali Gaye and Jaquelin Roy.
Florida State used four different centers in the game against Duquesne, leaving the position largely unsettled. For Norvell’s part, he was still relatively pleased with the results, but offered little insight to who would take the majority of the snaps in his Monday press conference.
“There were a few errant snaps we have to be better on,” Norvell told the media Monday. “But ultimately I thought it was a good workday with the communications that they had. And for the most part, we were on the right — in the right places with the right keys for what we were trying to accomplish.”
Florida State utilized a stable of running backs in Lawrance Toafili, Treshuan Ward and Tre Benson, all of whom eclipsed the century mark on the ground last week. Add in a mobile quarterback like Jordan Travis, and the Seminoles figure to stick to a similar script as last week. Travis threw for 207 yards and no touchdowns last week before being pulled, but didn’t target any of the first-string running backs in the pass game.
Still, Travis’ skill set offers more certainty than whatever Kelly’s bringing to the table under center. Mired in an off-season long battle at the quarterback position, the first-year head coach has opted to keep his starting quarterback under wraps, a decided advantage that forced Florida State to game plan for the pro-style Garrett Nussmeier and the dual-threat Jayden Daniels.
Kelly’s kept the secret so close to his chest that not even his team captains knew Tuesday who would be the starting quarterback.
“To be honest, we don’t really even know,” Ojulari said, after being appointed a team captain. “Coach Kelly and them, they know. To be honest, both quarterbacks are very worthy, very talented, and very able to take us where we want to go. Both quarterbacks are taking one reps, so that gives us that advantage.”
Maybe Norvell summed it up best.
“But, I mean, it’s — it’s Florida State and LSU playing in the Superdome,” Norvell said. “Let’s go. I mean, it’s exciting. If you’re not fired up for this one. I mean, it’s two storied programs, prime time. This is what college football is all about. We’re definitely looking forward to it.”
Contact Ryne at rgberthelot@gmail.com
Photo courtesy LSU Athletics