Brian Kelly is 0-3 in season openers to date in his LSU tenure. Whereas different applications throughout school soccer largely started their campaigns with matchups towards Group of 5 opponents or FCS squads, the Tigers launched into the final three seasons with daunting battles towards Florida State (twice) and USC. It doesn’t get simpler in 2025 when LSU hits the street for a marquee showdown towards Clemson.
The Aug. 30 prime time conflict could also be an early School Soccer Playoff preview. Each Tigers groups have postseason aspirations and rosters which can be, on paper, robust sufficient to get them into the bracket. It is among the largest video games on your complete non-conference slate, and Kelly is making it an even bigger deal of this contest than any of the opposite earlier season openers.
“We have circled the sport,” Kelly mentioned on the “School GameDay” podcast. “I’ve by no means finished that earlier than in openers. It is throughout our weight room. It is throughout our exercises. We’re carrying shirts. I imply, we’re doing the kumbaya of ‘We’re enjoying Clemson and we have to beat Clemson.’ So is that an excessive amount of strain? No, I believe we have sufficient mature, veteran guys on this crew. We had a transparent dialog about why we had been doing it, they usually’re all in on that.”
Kelly opened his LSU profession in 2022 with a neutral-site duel towards Florida State, one through which his Tigers fell behind by two touchdowns and by no means absolutely clawed again in a 24-23 defeat. The Seminoles gained the rematch in 2023, once more on a impartial discipline, in 45-24 blowout vogue. Final 12 months, LSU headed out to Las Vegas and surrendered a late lead in a 27-20 loss to USC.
“The actual fact of the matter is they’re thrilling openers, and sadly now we have not finished nicely in these openers and have not had the outcomes that we needed,” mentioned Kelly. “Clemson shall be a terrific problem, however one which I believe greater than the rest, now we have a soccer crew that may go on the street. And that is what it’s a must to do. It’s a must to have a protection that travels. We lastly have gotten the roster ready the place I imagine these are the type of video games that you simply need to go and play, and you should win them.”
When LSU employed Kelly in 2022, the expectation was that he would take this system again to nationwide championship competition. He fell in need of that aim every of the final three years, and people season-opening losses performed key roles in holding the Tigers again from reaching the CFP.
A dominant offseason through which LSU acquired the No. 1-ranked switch portal class, nonetheless, breathed new life into this system forward of Kelly’s pivotal 12 months 4.
“I am not going to make every other statements apart from the truth that we have to win the opener, as a result of we’re 0-3,” Kelly mentioned. “Not that this shall be a deciding issue whether or not you get within the playoff or not — it’s a lengthy haul — however we want it as a program and for the fan help, the folks to be rallying round this crew, which I imagine goes to be an excellent crew.”