LSU heads into SEC play this week with a trip to Lexington on deck, and Lane Kiffin spent his Tuesday availability giving a clear read on where his team stands after the win over McNeese.
The Tigers are 4-1, and Kiffin said the record only tells part of the story. He likes what he’s seeing from LSU, but the injury list is still the one thing nagging at him.
“I think I’d feel really good if it weren’t for the injuries. And again, if you guys are probably I hope you’re figuring out I don’t make excuses.
I just see how things are and I think I feel really good. I feel really good about our team.
I mean, we’ve at times played as well as anybody at a lot of times played as well as anybody in the country.”
One of the biggest positives from the press conference came on Trey’Dez Green, who appears to be trending the right way.
“If there’s anybody that’s going to come back sooner than maybe what people thought it would be him. So he is out of the brace and moving it. So getting closer.”
LSU is preparing for a Kentucky team that has won three straight, including two road games, and Kiffin made it clear he has a healthy respect for what first-year Wildcats head coach Will Stein has brought to the program. Kentucky’s overtime comeback against South Carolina drew his attention, too.
“I think they’re really well coached. I think he’s done a great job of bringing energy into the program.
Coming in and they’re really sound. They run really cool plays on offense, problematic plays, and they’re really sound on defense…their players definitely believe in their systems, and it’s got them playing with a lot of confidence.”
Kiffin also talked about how LSU has looked through the first five games, and he pointed to the team’s play level as encouraging even with the setbacks around it.
Another major piece of the conversation centered on quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has been forced to stay more in the pocket after suffering a hamstring injury in the second quarter against Texas A&M. Kiffin said that change affects the way a quarterback sees and processes the field.
“One pass protection that helps that to like I said this morning to the coaches, it’s just like in golfing or a batter… when you’re looking at the rushing or moving around in your eyes or looking all over, like in that Ole Miss game, you know, you’re not going to be very accurate and you’re not going to play really consistent.”
The matchup also brings a familiar coaching subplot, with Joe Sloan and Blake Baker set to face each other for the first time after working together under Brian Kelly during the 2024 season and part of 2025. Kiffin said he believes the assistant coach usually has an edge in those situations, though he downplayed how much it matters here because both men have been assistants.
“You know, like when I, when I end up going back to play Coach Saban, I feel like the assistant totally has the advantage when they’re on the other side of the ball. I’m not saying that again because we lost to Ole Miss.
I just think it, you know, I know it does because the head coach gives the information all the time to the assistant that listens on that other side of the ball, or you’re teaching them things about how you do your signals or operations. So, in this instance, I think both been assistants.
I don’t think it does a whole lot.”
In Other News...
LSU Just Got Encouraging News At Two Crucial Positions
LSU got a welcome update on two important pieces of its roster, with coach Lane Kiffin saying tight end TreyDez Green and linebacker Whit Weeks are both expected to return at some point this season. Green, who has been working back from a knee injury suffered in September, is out of his brace and moving freely, while Weeks continues to recover from a fractured lower leg.
The Tigers have managed to keep winning with others stepping into those roles, but the eventual return of both players would still give the team a boost on each side of the ball. For now, LSU can at least feel better about the direction of two injuries that looked like they could linger much longer. [Read more 🡒]
LSU's Young Tigers May Have Forced Bigger SEC Roles
In a lopsided 63-14 win over McNeese, LSU got something more than an expected tune-up performance. Injuries among starters opened the door for younger players to see meaningful snaps, and several freshmen answered with the kind of production that can change the way a depth chart looks moving forward. On defense, Deuce Geralds, Zach Weeks and Jhase Thomas were among the young Tigers who made their presence felt.
Geralds stood out with a sack and a touchdown in the same game, while Corey Barber Jr. gave the offense a lift with 7 catches for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns as LSU piled up 731 total yards. Performances like those do not guarantee anything in the SEC, but they can force coaches to think differently about how quickly freshmen are ready for bigger roles when the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Ranking Snub Makes South Carolina Loss Sting Even More
Kentuckys overtime win over South Carolina should have given the Wildcats a little breathing room, but instead it left them with an even sharper edge. The AP Top 25 dropped Kentucky after the victory, a result that turned a hard-fought conference win into something of a rankings headache, even as ESPNs College Football Playoff insider Heather Dinich said her understanding of the selection committee would put the Wildcats back inside the top 25, at No. 17.
For LSU, the timing adds another layer to a Week 6 matchup already carrying plenty of weight. Kentucky gets a chance to answer the ranking snub against a top-10 opponent in No. 10 LSU, and the Tigers will be facing a team that has every incentive to make a statement and force its way back into the national conversation. [Read more 🡒]