Ad Disclosure
Brian Kelly gives brutally-honest quote about what it takes to win national title
Published:
Brian Kelly understands it will take plenty of grit in order to win the National Championship.
When speaking with ESPN’s Chris Low this week, Kelly acknowledged that the road to the top isn’t always pretty. He specifically mentioned Georgia’s narrow win over Missouri last season.
“You gotta have some incredible grit,” Kelly said. “You gotta go to Columbia, Missouri like Georgia did, play like s*** and find a way to win.”
Visiting with Brian Kelly today, it’s obvious he likes talent of this @LSUfootball team. But do Tigers have traits it takes to win titles? “You gotta have some incredible grit. You gotta go to Columbia, Missouri like Georgia did (last year), play like shit and find a way to win.”
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) August 22, 2023
Georgia defeated Mizzou 26-22 last season thanks to a dominant 4th quarter. The Bulldogs out-scored the Tigers 14-3 in the final stanza to secure the win.
UGA, of course, went on to win its 2nd straight National Championship a couple months later and finished the season with a perfect 15-0 record.
That’s the next step for Kelly in Baton Rouge. Last season, the Tigers were ahead-of-schedule — they won the SEC West in Kelly’s first season at the helm. However, there’s still more work to be done.
Kelly also acknowledged the level of consistency needed to compete at a championship level in a different interview earlier this month with ESPN.
“Look, Alabama has been a model of consistency year in and year out. Georgia has been a model of consistency year in and year out,” Kelly said told ESPN earlier this offseason. “We can’t hang that moniker yet. We went from last to first — that’s not consistent. So what does that leave us? The ability to win and be the best team that day. That’s it. So if you’re measuring that, can we be the best team on that particular day and beat anybody? Absolutely. But can we be consistent? That’s what we’re going to try to prove.”
LSU opens the 2023 season against Florida State in Orlando on Sept. 3.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
