BATON ROUGE — The LSU Tiger football team is back in action on Saturday after a road win over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Head coach Brian Kelly met with the media Monday to discuss the win and preview this week's upcoming game against the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on WBRZ at Kyle Field in College Station.

Kelly gave high marks to the team's ability to match the intensity and physicality of an Arkansas team fresh off a bye week. In the face of a more well-rested Arkansas team, Kelly praised the LSU defense's ability to tackle and cause multiple timely turnovers that kept momentum in LSU's favor.

One of the more unique formations that LSU's defense, led by defensive coordinator Blake Baker, was an I-formation blitz where multiple defenders were placed in the backfield in a straight, vertical line. 

"The little nuances of pressures in those situations is to make it difficult for protection schemes," Kelly said.

Kelly also said that there is a strong sense of belief and trust in Baker's ability to coach the linebacker corps, saying that Baker puts in the time to make sure they can perform riskier formations like the I blitz that was done Saturday.

"You can't finish a defensive performance without Whit Weeks being all over the field," Kelly said, noting the sophomore linebacker's 10 tackles, one sack and one interception. Weeks also leads the SEC in tackles.

Multiple LSU players won SEC Player of the Week in different positions, including kicker Damian Ramos and offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr. Kelly said Caden Durham also performed well above his expectations as a freshman running back with 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 

Garrett Nussmeier also threw for 233 yards and no interceptions, which is a bit of a drop from past weeks where he put up more than 300 yards per game. Kelly said that he is looking to challenge Nussmeier with more complex throws, which is part of his strategy tending toward passing game progression.

"Our percentage is gonna be a little bit lower. We're not gonna be in the 70 to 75% percentile. We're gonna probably be in the 60s," he said. "It's really what our choice is relative to the passing game we're running."

Kelly said the goal is to be equally efficient whether the offense puts a pass or a rush on the field.

The Tigers will continue this momentum into a second away game with their trip to College Station, a place Kelly compared to Death Valley in terms of challenging venues to play football.

"We're excited for the challenge," Kelly said, adding that there are about 11 true freshmen on the team, something he said is a scary but exciting prospect on the road.

But the team is not looking too far into the future. Kelly said his "guys stay in the present," adding that their preparation remains consistent as the 12-team College Football Playoffs become more and more of a possibility for the Tigers after a rocky loss against USC to start the season. 

The Tigers are 6-1 following the Arkansas win and are currently ranked No. 8 in the country in the latest Associated Press poll released on Sunday.

Kelly also gave his condolences to the family of former LSU staffer Charles Baglio Jr. in a deadly car crash over the weekend. 

"I didn't get a chance to work with coach, but I can tell you that everyone that I have come in contact with that have worked with him knew him as an incredibly passionate LSU supporter, fan," Kelly said. "We lost a great one."