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Brian Kelly probably knew the question was coming.
The first-year LSU head coach has celebrated numerous big victories before in his distinguished coaching career at different stops, including at Cincinnati and Notre Dame.
Kelly coached the Fighting Irish to the national championship game during the 2012 season and also led Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff in the 2018 and 2020 seasons. But all 3 times, Kelly came up short of winning it all, including losing twice to Nick Saban’s Alabama teams in that 2012 season title game and in the 2020 Playoff semifinals.
On Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, Kelly’s LSU team slayed the dragon and slayed Saban, beating Alabama 32-31 in overtime. The win gave the Tigers a clear path to an SEC West title and a trip to Atlanta to play in the SEC Championship Game.
So came the expected question: Was the win over the Crimson Tide the biggest of Kelly’s career?
“The biggest win of my career is when we win a national championship. I’m focused on that. That’s why I’m here,” said Kelly.
Brian Kelly was asked if Saturday's win over Alabama was the biggest win of his career:
"The biggest win of my career is when we win a national championship. I'm focused on that. Thats why I'm here."#LSU
— TigerDroppings (@TigerDroppings) November 7, 2022
His answer was predictable, but it will also likely make Tigers fans who are already delirious in the aftermath of Saturday night’s win that much happier to hear Kelly is anything but complacent and has his eyes on the biggest prize.
Kelly and LSU will continue their push toward a possible SEC West crown on Saturday at Arkansas.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
