Ryan Clark predicts LSU will 'go into Alabama and win the game'

Ryan Clark was elated to see LSU turn the page on Brian Kelly. The Tigers fired their now-former coach after a home loss to Texas A&M prior to the bye.

Afterwards, the school named Frank Wilson interim head coach. Wilson’s debut will be Saturday night in Tuscaloosa as the Tigers take on Alabama on the big stage. It will be a high-profile matchup as the program kicks off a new era.

To say enthusiasm is high is an understatement. Clark made a passionate statement regarding the game during an appearance on Get Up on Friday, thinking times are changing for the better in Baton Rouge.

“LSU bout to go into Alabama and win the game,” Clark stated. “Frank Wilson got it going different around there. What’d be do, what’s the first thing he do? He called all the old players. Tells everybody to come back. He’s got Jacob Hester, the original No. 18, giving speeches to the team. New Athletic Director Verge Ausberry, who played on that very field, giving speeches to the team.

“We’re going into Alabama, fresh off of the bye week. You know what we was doing? Getting back to the basics. We was getting back to the basics. You know what else? The head coach, he ain’t got to fake an accent no more. He from New Orleans now.”

Clark is far from the only former Tiger at ESPN who believes LSU is better off without Kelly. Booger McFarland ripped the former LSU coach, saying he “didn’t work hard enough” during his tenure in Baton Rouge.

“Brian Kelly didn’t work hard enough in Baton Rouge,” McFarland said. “I think right now, all the stories are starting to come out. There’s a thing called being a good fit, and I think as we look back on it, Brian Kelly wasn’t a good fit. I think for all the reasons that we talked about – him being from Boston and coming down to the south. It just wasn’t a good fit.

“I don’t even know if he knew what gumbo was. Like, if I’ve got to explain to you what gumbo is, you probably don’t need to be in the south.”

All in all, Kelly had a 34-13 overall record at LSU prior to his departure, including a 19-10 mark in SEC play. The Tigers made it to the SEC title game in his first season, but did not return to Atlanta after that. LSU had a 5-3 record at the time of Kelly’s departure.

Saturday night, LSU will play its first game since Kelly’s departure with Wilson in charge. Clark and McFarland are confident the Tigers will play with passion and have a chance to upset Alabama, but it remains to be seen if that seismic shift comes to fruition in Week 11.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.