With the Lane Kiffin era underway at LSU this season, the Tigers are off to a 4-1 start, with their sole loss coming in Kiffin's anticipated return to Ole Miss, the team he spurned to become head coach of LSU. Much like last season, when Kiffin's decision to accept the LSU job created plenty of drama, his first season with the Tigers has stirred up its share of attention. However, Kiffin has them at the No. 10 spot in the Top 25 polls and in a good position to make some noise this season.
On Wednesday, analyst Joel Klatt spoke about the expectations for Kiffin now that he's at the helm of LSU. "I think it's return to tier one of the SEC and make the playoff, not just contend," Klatt said, adding, "That's what people are expecting when you pull this guy out of the playoff race with Ole Miss, and deal with all of the crap that comes with Lane Kiffin and the attention that he gets." Klatt called it a "circus," referencing the attention surrounding Kiffin, which includes Instagram models, his attempts to get NFL players on LSU's roster, and the drama involving starting quarterback Sam Leavitt's injury status ahead of the Ole Miss matchup. More news: Urban Meyer Sounds Off on Michigan, Bryce Underwood After Loss to Minnesota "Why do you do that?
It's because you want to return to tier one of the SEC, and you wanna make the playoff," Klatt said on "The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast." He said that despite that one loss to Ole Miss so far this season, LSU has a good defense. They're second in the nation, allowing just 220.6 yards per game, and are currently tied for 20th with 15.2 points allowed per game. Klatt particularly mentioned the Tigers' pass rush, which he called the "most important thing to have in the SEC." "Don't look now, but LSU could absolutely make a run to the SEC championship because they are strong in the exact area that you would build a team to be strong to face the schedule that they've got," Klatt said.
He contended that LSU's pass rush could cause issues for upcoming opposing quarterbacks, including Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor and Texas's Arch Manning. Klatt suggested that the latter, who has guided the Longhorns to No. 1 in the Top 25 polls, struggles when under defensive pressure, and that's where LSU could excel. At the moment, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia are the only undefeated teams in the SEC, but weather permitting, that should change this weekend.
Alabama and Georgia will face one another, meaning one of LSU's biggest competitors in the conference race will suffer its first loss. After falling to Pete Golding and Ole Miss last month, LSU has responded with back-to-back double-digit wins over Texas A&M and McNeese State. The Tigers visit Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 10, before returning home to face Taylor and Mississippi State on Saturday, Oct. 17.
More news: David Pollack Apologizes for Disrespecting Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith For more about the LSU Tigers and college football, visit Newsweek Sports.
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