LSU did not have much time to dwell on its first loss of the Lane Kiffin era.
After falling 32-24 at Ole Miss on Saturday, the No. 10 Tigers returned to Baton Rouge with another ranked SEC matchup immediately ahead. No. 23 Texas A&M visits Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, giving LSU an opportunity to respond against a team dealing with its own disappointment.
The Aggies fell 31-21 to Kentucky at Kyle Field on Saturday, dropping from No. 9 to No. 23 in the AP poll. LSU slipped three spots after its loss to Ole Miss. Texas A&M's trip to Baton Rouge will also be its first road game of the season.
For Kiffin, Monday was about confronting what went wrong in Oxford before quickly turning LSU's attention toward Texas A&M.
"Today, tell the truth, Monday, we start with the game and we go through that film and everything with them, position, coordinator, team meeting, and then we move to the next one," Kiffin said.
Here are three of the biggest topics Kiffin addressed Monday.
Preparing for Texas A&M and the Threat of Marcel Reed
LSU does not have to look far for motivation against Texas A&M.
The Aggies have won the past two meetings, including a 49-25 beatdown in Tiger Stadium last season that saw the A&M Crowd take over Death Valley and ultimately led to the firing of Brian Kelly and the poaching of Kiffin from Ole Miss. The series is tied at five wins apiece over the past 10 meetings.
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Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed has been particularly troublesome for LSU, and containing his legs will again be one of the Tigers' biggest defensive priorities.
In two games against LSU, Reed was more dangerous with his legs than his arm as he has rushed for 170 yards and five touchdowns. That’s something Kiffin knows defensive coordinator Blake Baker and this Tigers defense have had trouble with the past two seasons against Reed.
"We've struggled here with him before. I think we lead the country in rush defense, but that hasn't been against a ton of quarterback scheme runs. Last week was just him making stuff on his own and the long run when he pulled the ball.
"So that's a different set of challenges. It really takes a lot of discipline and a lot of guys doing really well on defense to avoid that."
Texas A&M is coming off its worst performance of the young season in a double-digit loss to Kentucky, but Kiffin does not expect what happened against Kentucky to automatically carry into Baton Rouge.
"Every week's different," Kiffin said. "That doesn't mean anything. Sunday to Sunday doesn't mean anything, just like Saturday to Saturday doesn't. ... Every week is new. Doesn't matter how you played.
"You can't look at that game last week and think that's how Texas A&M is going to show up and play the same. They won't. You got too many good players and Elko is a great coach."
The Tigers will at least get the Aggies at night in Tiger Stadium, something Kiffin believes provides a meaningful advantage in the SEC.
"When you play at home at night, you play better," Kiffin said. "The stats show it. Struggle to score on the road in the SEC. ... I think in the SEC you have such loud environments."
Evaluating Sam Leavitt’s Performance and Pass Protection
Kiffin also addressed quarterback Sam Leavitt’s struggles against Ole Miss.
After dealing with an upper-body injury during the week, Leavitt threw for just 158 yards, one touchdown and an interception while adding 63 rushing yards and a score.
While Leavitt has been effective with his legs, his passing has remained inconsistent and turnovers have become a concern. He has completed 61.3% of his passes for 732 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions this season.
Kiffin said Leavitt became more comfortable staying in the pocket as the game progressed, but early pressure contributed to the quarterback relying on his legs and trying to create plays himself.
"When you have success, a lot of the plays he was having success was taking off on his own and doing things," Kiffin said. "So it's hard to stay in there when that's how the game was going. But he knows he got to do a better job of that, even in those situations and deliver the ball on time and not try too much."
Kiffin also pointed to LSU's pass protection as a factor in Leavitt's struggles.
"When you get impacted early in the game by rush ... it affects you," Kiffin said. "Confidence is fragile at every position, but especially at quarterback."
Asked where LSU's offensive line most needs to improve, Kiffin's answer was simple.
"Pass protection," Kiffin said. "Too many breakdowns in one-on-one matchups."
Navigating Key Injuries and Testing LSU’s Roster Depth
LSU's loss in Oxford also came at a high cost.
Safety Dashawn Spears suffered a season-ending ACL injury, while tight end Trey'Dez Green injured his knee during the fourth quarter. Green avoided torn ligaments and surgery, according to reports, but is dealing with sprains and bruising. Wide receiver Phillip Wright III is also expected to undergo season-ending surgery after suffering an injury against Louisiana Tech.
"Like anything with injuries, you got to have people step up," Kiffin said. "I've always said it's the factor in football more than any other sport by far out of your control. You're going to have some years that you have really good luck. ... Now this year it's going the other way."
Kiffin described Spears as a difficult player to replace because of the different responsibilities he could handle within LSU's defense.
The injuries also highlight something Kiffin has warned about since taking over at LSU: depth.
"I think that in your first year and you come in and in the portal era, there's so much transition that you can build top-heavy teams and sign really good players, but your first year you're going to have depth issues," Kiffin said.
Kiffin was particularly concerned about replacing Spears and Green because their skill sets are difficult to replicate.
"I got through the game losing the game and that was a lot, but really I was way more concerned about these two significant players and Trey'Dez, of how significant they are,” Kiffin said. "And then their backups, not saying any bad of them, they're just totally different players. Dashawn and Trey'Dez are extremely unique and unique in what we use them to do."
Texas A&M has injury problems of its own. Wide receiver and return specialist Terry Bussey suffered a season-ending injury on the opening kickoff against Kentucky.
That leaves both teams trying to regroup physically and mentally entering Saturday night's 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff in Tiger Stadium.
