Brian Kelly opens up on severity of sign-stealing in college football
Brian Kelly has no tolerance for sign-stealing. On Thursday, the LSU head coach weighed in on the scandal sweeping the college football world.
“If they had our calls. If they had our call sheet. If they clearly knew we were running the ball outside right or throwing the ball down the field, it certainly would matter,” Kelly said. “If somebody has your plays and somebody knows what they are and they know it’s a run or a pass, it has a significant outcome on the success of that particular play.”
Kelly is commenting on the issue after reports arose last week that Michigan was stealing opposing teams’ signals. While LSU won’t face Michigan in the regular season, the programs could meet in the College Football Playoff.
Moreover, the Wolverines aren’t the only ones whom Kelly has to worry about. This weekend, LSU will face off against Alabama. The program boasts offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who worked with Kelly at Notre Dame.
Brian Kelly is sending mixed signals
This week, Kelly pulled back the curtain on how the Tigers prepare for their opponents having insider knowledge.
“In our verbiage, we have words that can be used two or three different ways and we’ll just go to the alternate way of using that word,” Kelly said. “And that allows us to not have to throw out the entire nomenclature if you will.”
LSU has more to worry about than some simple play calls. Its defense, which has been questionable this season, will face a difficult test this weekend against Alabama. The Tigers’ defense allows 395 total yards and 26.5 points per outing.
On the flip side, LSU boasts the best offense in the country, with nation-highs in yards (552.9) and points (47.4) per game. Kelly believes his team has reinforced its weaknesses leading up to the colossal matchup.
“We’re better defensively than we were when we played Mississippi,” Kelly said. “We’re still a work in progress, but we’re getting better. We’ve made steady progress. Our practice today on defense was night and day against Missouri on a Thursday, so that’s preparation.
“We have to perform, we have to tackle, play the ball in the air, execute together, but we’re definitely making the progress I wanted to see with my own eyes.”
LSU’s defense will face a true eye test soon. On Saturday, the Tigers will go head-to-head with the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide at 7:45 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS.