Brian Kelly says LSU 'still think we are THE Death Valley' over Clemson
'It's also a program that is considered a premier program,' Kelly said of Clemson. 'We got an incredible challenge that we are excited about and one that we are looking forward to.'
Kelly explained how he's kept his team focused all offseason, turning the matchup into a clear, daily reminder.
'Goal-setting is something we are all very familiar with in college football. Everybody talks about goals,' Kelly said. 'We have made this a specific goal, meaning it is tangible for our guys. You go through our weight room, and we have a Clemson paw print on the bags that we hit every day. It is on every monitor in the building to go 1-0.'
While the early-season clash is enough motivation, Kelly couldn't resist poking a little fun at Clemson over the long-running 'Death Valley' debate. Both stadiums carry the famous nickname — but Kelly made his side's stance clear.
'We still think we are THE DEATH VALLEY. They can use the name, too. We are letting them borrow it. But at the end of the day, it is about the respect I have for him (Dabo Swinney) and the development of his program and then maintaining that consistently year in and year out.'
LSU leads the all-time series 3-1, with the two programs splitting their last two meetings under Swinney — including LSU's 42-25 win for the 2019 national title. They'll settle it again August 30 at 7:30 PM on ABC, with early playoff buzz and plenty of bragging rights on the line.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
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