LSU's Kelly: Focus is on Clemson, not end of year

ATLANTA -- Brian Kelly understands the expectations astatine LSU ever revolve astir nationalist championships, but aft opening each of his archetypal 3 seasons successful Baton Rouge with a loss, he's shifted the offseason accent from the extremity of the twelvemonth to the start.

Kelly said this volition beryllium by acold his astir talented and heavy LSU team, but nary of that volition substance if the Tigers aren't acceptable for Clemson successful the opener.

"With the squad that [we have] this year," Kelly said, "it's unacceptable for america not to play our precise champion successful Game 1."

That hasn't been the lawsuit successful years past, Kelly said. LSU mislaid to USC successful past year's opener and dropped games to Florida State successful 2022 -- Kelly's archetypal play -- and again successful 2023. The programme hasn't won its opener since 2019, erstwhile LSU won its past nationalist championship.

That way grounds has shifted Kelly's offseason program to absorption connected Clemson alternatively than any rubric hopes.

"I've ne'er done that earlier due to the fact that I interest astir the affectional vigor you walk connected thing similar that, but it's important to the programme that we get disconnected to that start," Kelly said. "It's a tangible extremity for us. I've ne'er acceptable a extremity earlier for a singular team. This is simply a singular goal. This is simply a extremity we've placed connected our program. The players cognize that. It's a hard extremity but it's successful beforehand of them and they've got a timepiece running. They're getting acceptable to spell conscionable that goal."

"It's go our motto and our mindset each azygous day. Being 1-0 successful everything you do, whether it's taking your supplements oregon being connected clip to tutoring oregon immoderate it is. It's been a immense alteration for us. It's a reminder of, if you don't privation to bash the small things right, I stake they will." LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier said the changes haven't been truthful overmuch a step-by-step program to bushed Clemson. It's been much of "an attack" connected the tiny things the Tigers request to bash to beryllium acceptable for their travel to the different Death Valley connected Aug. 30.

"It's go our motto and our mindset each azygous day," Nussmeier said. "Being 1-0 successful everything you do, whether it's taking your supplements oregon being connected clip to tutoring oregon immoderate it is. It's been a immense alteration for us. It's a reminder of, if you don't privation to bash the small things right, I stake they will.

"We person squad goals astir wherever we privation to beryllium astatine the extremity of the season, but Coach Kelly is immense connected being process oriented, and that alteration is about, yea that's wherever we privation to beryllium astatine the extremity but let's speech astir what it takes to get there. What does the way look like? It starts winning the archetypal game."

Both LSU and Clemson fig to unfastened the play arsenic top-10 teams with nationalist title aspirations, which makes the extremity of being acceptable for Week 1 much challenging, Kelly said. The scope of the job, however, has allowed Kelly to reenforce the value of each tiny measurement successful his process.

It's a blueprint that linebacker Whit Weeks said he's embraced. The opening-game losing streak is simply a root of frustration, but besides 1 he'd lone privation to extremity by upending different playoff contender.

"I'm precise gladsome we're playing Clemson successful Week 1," Weeks said. "You travel to LSU to play the champion games successful the country. Not a batch of schools are doing that anymore, but we docket hard games Week 1 each azygous season. I came to play due to the fact that I wanted to play successful the biggest stadiums with the champion crowds. If you privation to beryllium the best, you've got to bushed the best. So erstwhile we spell play Clemson, successful bid to beryllium the best, we person to bushed the best."