LSU’s season took a sharp turn Saturday night, and now the Tigers have to reset fast with Texas coming to Tiger Stadium on Nov. 14.
The home loss to Alabama knocked a major dent in LSU’s playoff hopes, and it left a team with a $50 million roster sitting at 6-3 when many expected much more. Kickoff against the Longhorns is set for 6:30 p.m.
Lane Kiffin said Monday that the message to his players was about blocking out everything that comes after a loss - or even after a strong performance.
“I just spent time with (LSU players) today discussing that,” Tigers coach Lane Kiffin said Monday. “You can’t listen to noise.
One of the hardest things to do is letting go of the previous outcome. That’s hard both ways.
When you have to let go of good, too. You can play really good, and you have a lot of work to do, to not to listen to that noise.”
Kiffin also has a personal connection to Texas quarterback Arch Manning from his time recruiting him at Ole Miss. Manning, a five-star prospect out of New Orleans’ Isidore Newman School, never ended up with the Rebels, but Kiffin said he came away with a strong impression of him.
“I really enjoyed the time around Arch,” Kiffin said. “Great kid.
I think that’s probably well-documented. That’s a lot to deal with, even when he was in high school, the expectations and pressure and everything around him.
“I got to see him play one time, the night before one of our games, and got to see him just have fun with his teammates and how much the linemen on his team loved him in high school. Then, when he’d come visit, you kind of saw more of the pressure side of what he dealt with.
I think he’s an awesome kid, and I hope he does really well. Obviously, outside of Saturday.”
LSU and Texas haven’t shared the field since 2019, when the Tigers won 45-38. LSU went on to finish unbeaten and claim the national championship that season.
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