Brian Kelly on LSU's trip to Clemson: 'It's going to be a great road win' |
Brandon Rink
· · Friday, August 29 2025
LSU head coach Brian Kelly is sticking to the bit, even in the final hours to kickoff in Clemson Saturday (7:30 p.m./ABC).
First, Kelly said his Tigers had the Death Valley. Then Kelly said Clemson had "Death Valley Junior." Now Clemson appears to be not Death Valley at all, per Kelly, or at least not measuring up to the Baton Rouge version. Fresh off hearing the AJ Haulcy news Thursday night, Kelly had a parting shot on his radio show at a local TJ Ribs restaurant. He was a little late to the proceedings, and promised a more timely appearance next week, after a promised LSU win. "Let's get ready for a great environment -- not Death Valley, but it's going to be a great road win," Kelly said. "Get there early, and cheer on the Tigers. Thank you for your support tonight, being a little late. We'll come early next week and talk about this win." LSU sports coverage website editor Glenn Guilbeau said on X that this is a third opener in a row that Kelly has forecast a win. Of course, LSU has not won a season opener yet under Kelly since he assumed leadership of the program in 2022. Kelly also talked about the Haulcy first-half suspension for Saturday's Top 10 showdown. "Obviously we're dealing with the AJ Haulcy situation. The NCAA has upheld his suspension for the first half," Kelly said. "Yeah, it's unfortunate. Look, we can't sit here and complain, because the decision has been made, right? So let's move on. We've got really good football players, and the safety position is in great hands. And we'll get him ready for the second half to make plays all over the field. As much as we wanted for this to work out, because obviously there are mitigating circumstances which I think everybody is clued into -- we're ready to play the game, and I don't want it to be a distraction at all. "It should not even be the third headline about this game. This is going to be a good game. You've got two top teams in the country playing. It's going to be exciting..." Kelly said that they were informed on Wednesday of the possibility that a suspension could be enforced on Haulcy from a fight and subsequent ejection to close his last season at Houston. Haulcy was a first-team All-Big 12 selection who totaled five interceptions and eight pass breakups in 2024. Per @SportBeatTweet, Kelly has a tradition where he'll "predict" LSU's Week 1 result on his radio show before the season opener. Also did it in 2023 and 2024 https://t.co/Hqm1uHnAhy
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