With Brian Kelly’s arrival at LSU comes a new wave of excitement and optimism for the future of the football program.
His resume speaks for itself, as he’s turned every school he’s coached into a proven winner. But how did he do it? What does a Brian Kelly-coached team look like on the field?
We spoke with both new coordinators, as well as a handful of impact players ahead of the Tigers’ 2022 season to help paint the picture of what LSU fans can expect to see on Saturday nights.
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THE OFFENSE UNDER MIKE DENBROCK
Denbrock and Kelly’s relationship goes way back, so this hire made a lot of sense on paper.
The duo worked together at Grand Valley State back in the 90s and reconnected again for six seasons when Kelly was hired at Notre Dame in 2010.
Denbrock, who helped lead Cincinnati to its ever College Football Playoff appearance last year, now heads to Baton Rouge as the pair attempts to recreate the successes they’ve had at their previous stops.
“(LSU), to me, is an incredible destination job,” Denbrock tells 225. “It’s a program that I’ve watched from where I was in the coaching profession for many, many years. I was always a little bit in awe of the great things that have gone on here and the great players that have come through here. When the opportunity presented itself for me to become part of the program, it was something that was just too good to pass up on.”
Despite the Tigers’ middling record the past couple of seasons, Denbrock certainly isn’t inheriting an empty cupboard.
But in order to maximize on the talent at his disposal, the 58-year-old playcaller says it all starts up front.
“Number one: We’re going to establish the run and establish the line of scrimmage with a style of play that is physical and is intense,” he says. “We’re going to play hard, and we’re going to go about our business in a way that would make the LSU community really proud of how hard we play. It starts there with setting the tone across the entire offense. And then I think on top of that, we want to be a team that stretches the field vertically. We want to create explosive plays and be an explosive offense. (We want to) attack defenses, and play the game offensively on our terms, and not be dictated to by what the defense is doing against us.”
In the running-back room specifically, Denbrock gave praise to John Emery Jr., saying, “I don’t think there’s anything that he can’t do,” in the offense, while also naming Noah Cain, Armoni Goodwin and Josh Williams as some promising, versatile backs.
Denbrock will have a decision to make at quarterback, as it seems to be a three-man race going down to the wire, but regardless of who winds up taking the first-team snaps, the Tigers know they have an embarrassment of riches to work with on the outside.
“(The wide receivers) are really fun to watch,” Denbrock says. “That group is as talented and deep as any on this team. There are a number of guys in that room that I feel like when called upon, can be the type of explosive, dynamic players that we’re going to need to be successful. There are more really good, quality football players on one roster than anybody should maybe be allowed to have. But we’re awfully proud to have them.”
And according to those players, Denbrock’s new system has felt like a relatively seamless transition of the offense. Concept-wise, it likely won’t look a whole lot different than the LSU attacks of recent years.
The Tigers averaged 254.5 passing yards and 114 rushing yards per game last season, compared to Denbrock’s offense at Cincinnati, which posted 241.2 passing and 173 rushing yards per game.
“It’s pretty simple,” wide receiver Jack Bech tells 225. “We’re trying to get the ball in the playmakers hands and let us do what we do best. We obviously have some really awesome concepts and different ways of getting different players into different situations. But it all just comes down to getting the ball in the playmakers hands.”
THE DEFENSE UNDER MATT HOUSE
Every football coach has their certain keywords or phrases they try to instill into their players.
At any given practice at LSU, you’ll likely hear the Tigers’ new defensive coordinator Matt House rattle off three simple words: “Grit to strain.”
The saying is essentially an effort to establish a mentality for the style of defense House wants to implement at LSU—athletic, disruptive and a masterful grasp of the basics of football.
“Number one: (We’re going to) be fundamentally sound,” House tells 225. “We’re going to be great tacklers. We’re going to strain to run to the football. We’re going to have the attack mentality and we’re going to play with great passion and energy.”
House arrives at LSU after spending two seasons coaching linebackers for the Kansas City Chiefs.
He helped assemble a strong defense that won the Super Bowl in 2020 and received high praise from one former Tiger who was a member of that title-winning team.
“I’m excited for coach House and all of Tiger Nation!,” former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu tweeted after the hire was announced. “This man loves football and teaching! One of the best I’ve been around. This Tiger defense will be well coached from day one! Let’s all buy in!!! FOREVER LSU!”
House has a long coaching history which started at Michigan State in 2001 and has sent him to multiple stops at both the college and professional ranks.
He’s coached the defensive line, linebackers, and defensive backs and has also called defenses in the SEC, giving him a well-rounded background as he takes over LSU’s unit.
“Coach House can coach anybody in any position, and all he tries to do is push your game to the next level,” says senior defensive end Ali Gaye. “He wants a lot out of us, and he challenges us to be the very best that we can be. His energy is just different. Even in the meeting room he’s so energetic, and that just gets everybody motivated and ready to go. It’s high intensity out there, and there are guys having the meanest mindset when we’re on the field.”
Positionally, there is still a lot to be ironed out, particularly when it comes to the depth at linebacker and cornerback.
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But House knows he has a loaded defensive line at his disposal, led by guys like Gaye, BJ Ojulari and rising sophomore star Maason Smith.
“I really feel that we will be a very great defense,” Smith tells 225. “Everything that Coach House has done to this point has been a positive progression for our defense. I think the scheme that we run is good, and I think he holds us accountable. He’s just preaching competition. He doesn’t want anybody on the field who doesn’t know what they’re doing, so he preached (about) getting in the playbook and studying film and taking notes during film. He’s treating it like a league environment, because he just came from it, so his mind is still wired to the NFL. He’s teaching guys how to do it the right way before they even go to the league.”
This article was originally published in the August 2022 Tiger Pride issue of 225 magazine.