Brian Kelly Details Need for LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Football To Play Better Defense

The Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers have played a pair of thrillers across the last two seasons in their annual rivalry game.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers captured a victory in the latest matchup, but the program's shot-caller isn't satisfied yet.

The 55-49 nail-biter in 2023 was nothing short of electric followed by a 29-26 overtime battle a year ago in Baton Rouge, but Kelly wants to see more from both programs.

“Well when I think of the Ole Miss games, I think of we all want to play better defense,” Kelly said. “They’ve been great offensive games, right? I mean we made an incredible comeback and won that game in overtime. The year before it was a track meet.”

The Ole Miss Rebels have trended in the right direction defensively with coordinator Pete Golding at the helm, but as for the LSU Tigers, it's been a slow work in progress.

Kelly detailed the improvement Lane Kiffin's crew has pieced together with the LSU program looking to get to a "championship-level" defense in 2025.

“It’s a game that our fanbase loves to play, against Ole Miss,” Kelly said. “But I think we would both say that we’re looking to play championship-level defense.

"I think Ole Miss was closer to that last year with the group that they put together. Now it’s our job to put together a championship defense at LSU, and I think we’re closer to that.”

After splitting the matchups in 2023 and 2024, Kiffin and Co. will look to take home a victory this fall at Vaught-Hemingway in Oxford.