LSU center Braelin Moore says the Tigers are still in the middle of building something, and he’s not pretending that process has been smooth.
With a new coaching staff in place and nearly two-thirds of the roster flipped during the offseason, Moore said the growing pains were always part of the deal. “I was optimistic.
I'm realistic, and I know that we had a huge overhaul of players,” Moore said. “As much as I wanted it to be perfect, I knew that it was gonna be challenges at first.”
That reality showed up for LSU up front in the loss to Ole Miss, where Moore said the offensive line left the field unhappy with how it handled pass protection. “I think we walked off that field at Ole Miss and we didn't like the way that we pass blocked that game,” Moore said.
“Just too much pressure, too many sacks. Really didn't let Sam settle into the game.
He just felt rushed the whole game.”
Moore added that protecting quarterback Sam Leavitt became an even bigger priority because of Leavitt’s hamstring injury, which limited his mobility.
Even with that setback, Moore believes the Tigers are moving in the right direction. He said the goal isn’t to peak early, but to be at their sharpest when the season gets deep.
“You don't want to be the best week one of the season. You want to be best towards week nine, week ten, heading into the playoffs.
“And I think if we just keep practicing the way we're practicing, go out there and play, we're gonna reach that.”
The road trip to Kentucky brings another SEC test, and Moore made clear he expects the atmosphere to be plenty hostile. He pointed to the league’s week-to-week volatility and the challenge of going into a night game against a team that’s winning.
“The SEC, you can lose on any given week. Every team got dudes,” Moore said.
“Just going into Kentucky, it's gonna be a hostile environment. They're winning right now.
It's a night game and it's LSU. So every fan base is gonna bring it when we come into town.”
LSU enters Saturday’s matchup at 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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