A humble yet determined Frank Wilson stood at the podium in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, speaking to reporters for the first time since taking over as LSU's interim head coach following the firing of Brian Kelly. Wilson, who was previously the team's associate head coach and running backs coach, will lead the Tigers over their final four games of the regular season against Alabama, Arkansas, Western Kentucky and Oklahoma.
The Tigers' season had gone awry after losing three of their last four games, including a blowout home loss to Texas A&M over the weekend. LSU fell to 5–3 and just 2–3 in SEC play, far below the standards the championship and playoff standards the program has, and leading to the firing of Kelly.
Few understand the importance of LSU to Louisiana more than Wilson, who was born in New Orleans and is in his second stint as a coach for the Tigers.
“It’s a tremendous, humbling moment for myself," Wilson said of becoming LSU's interim coach on Tuesday. "... I recognize this moment is so much bigger than me. I just happen to be the caretaker at this moment for this wonderful institution that we so love. It’s our flagship state university and we have tremendous pride in it. I will do my very best and die trying to represent us as a university, as a state, as a community, to the best of my ability, with dignity, honor, and pride, the way LSU has always been and will always be."
Wilson shared that he and his players were together when the news of Kelly's firing broke on Sunday. He acknowledged that it's been hard and they've gone through "an array emotions," but said he told his players, "Here we are in this moment. We live in real time. We live in this moment, and so we have a responsibilities to ourselves, you have a responsibility to the man that's next to you, to be a great teammate, to individually continue to develop yourself to be the best version of you."
Though it is currently the Tigers' bye week, they held practice on Tuesday and Wilson emphasized the importance of the team "staying together."
On the field, Wilson has made it clear that running the ball will be a priority for the Tigers going forward. Though LSU's top two running backs have each averaged over four yards per carry, there have been four games this season where neither back saw at least 10 carries. The Tigers rank last in the SEC in rushing offense, a key area Wilson wants to improve upon and believes will help balance the overall offense.
The Tigers have 11 days before they next play a game, when they take on the No. 4 Crimson Tide on Nov. 8. It's unclear how they'll play or if they can upset Alabama, but so far Wilson seems to have brought a refreshed energy and perspective to the building this week.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LSU Interim Coach Had Powerful Message After Taking Over for Brian Kelly.
