By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – LSU head coach Brian Kelly honestly and succinctly described the simple significance of Saturday’s 6 p.m. regular-season closing game vs. first-time Tiger Stadium visitor Oklahoma.
“This would be a great way to finish off the regular season,” Kelly said at his final in-season weekly press conference on Monday, “with the team that’s coming in off a great win (over Alabama). . .both teams looking to finish the season strong.”
And that’s all it is – two unranked SEC teams trying to get another win and move up the league’s bowl food chain.
LSU’s (7-4 overall, 4-3 SEC) College Football Playoff hopes were dashed by a three-game losing streak. Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5 SEC) never off the launching pad, losing five of its first six league games before destroying then-No. 8 Alabama 24-3 last Saturday.
Since the start of the two-day early signing period is eight days away on Dec. 4, much of Kelly’s Monday media session centered on recruiting and what must be accomplished to keep building a roster that can challenge for SEC and national championships.
The Tigers’ recruiting class of 2025 is ranked No. 6 nationally by 247 Sports and No. 7 by ESPN, despite having committed five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood flip last Thursday to Michigan. Also ranked as the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit, the Wolverines lured Underwood with a 4-year, $12 million deal funded by Michigan supporter Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle and someone with a personal wealth of $230 billion.
LSU has some extra NIL money on hand. It failed to sign several of its top defensive tackle transfer portal targets this past summer and then Underwood turned down a lucrative offer.
“We weren’t very aggressive in the transfer portal (last summer), we put together a defensive line using minimal resources,” Kelly said. “We really put ourselves in a position, and I’ll use this term loosely, to stay well under the (salary) cap so that we could be quite aggressive this year.
“We will be very aggressive in that area, as well as bringing in 16 (high school) mid-year (signees in January). We think that the program, in terms of the culture and the standards are such that we can do that now, where we can bring in 16 freshmen and maybe one of, if not the largest transfer of portal classes as well.”
Kelly said there are steps to replenishing a roster. It starts with Kelly, general manager Austin Thomas and associate head coach/running backs coach Frank Wilson working daily on recruiting.
“We’re having meetings with players,” Kelly said. “It starts with retention. First, some players have to make decisions relative to whether they’re going to move on to the NFL or they’re going to stay here.
“The second part of that is the ongoing recruiting process and bringing players into your program through the recruiting process. The third level is the transfer portal and identifying particular positions that you believe you need to go out and get a mature player who has played snaps at that position, at a level, that can impact your roster right away.
And then the fourth (level) is who are the guys that are going to stay in on this team. You’re evaluating those players that have stayed above the cut.”
“A lot is going on right now in college football, and it’s caused a lot of gray hairs. It’s caused some guys to say, `I think I’d rather be doing something else.’ I’m excited about it. I’m excited about what the roster could look like. I’m excited about what kind of football team we can put on the field, and it’s going to be a fun couple months.”
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
LSU (7-4 overall, 4-3 SEC West) vs. Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5), Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN
Last game for Sooners: Oklahoma dominated No. 8 Alabama 24-3 last Saturday. While the Sooners ran for 257 yards, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe threw three interceptions, and the Crimson Tide gained a season-low 70 rushing yards.
Series record and last meeting: LSU leads 2-1. In the 2019 College Football Playoff semifinals in the Peach Bowl, LSU’s newly minted Heisman Trophy-winning QB Joe Burrow threw for seven touchdowns and 493 yards in a 63-28 blowout of the Sooners.
Oklahoma head coach: Brent Venables (22-15 in his third season overall and at Oklahoma).
THIS AND THAT
Early betting line: LSU is a 6-point favorite.
Number of Louisiana natives on Oklahoma roster: 1
Number of Oklahoma natives on LSU roster: 2
Number of transfers on Oklahoma roster from 4-year schools: 30 players from 28 schools including 20 players from 18 Power 4 Conference schools
OKLAHOMA PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Jackson Arnold (140 of 225 for 1,311 passing yards, 12 TDs, 3 interceptions, 369 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 133 carries, LB Danny Stutsman (100 tackles, 7½ TFL), PK Zach Schmit (8 of 9 FG, 15 of 15 PAT)
THREE AND OUT
- What Shreveport native transferred to UL Monroe this year after spending the last two seasons as a little-used Oklahoma quarterback? A) Lieutenant Booty, B. General Booty, C. Shakeyer Booty, D. Josh Booty
- Who ran for almost 1,400 yards and 12 TDs as an Oklahoma freshman running back and then left school after his sophomore year to play for the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers? A) Adrian Peterson, B. Billy Sims, C. Marcus Dupree, D. Joe Washington
- What LSU player said to a teammate “We’re going to score 60 on them” before the Tigers’ 63-28 win over Oklahoma in the 2019 national semifinal win in the Peach Bowl? A) Ja’Marr Chase, B. Justin Jefferson, C. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, D. Joe Burrow
ANSWERS: 1. B 2. C 3. D
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com