LSU was already in the AP Top 10 before the season began.Then the Tigers had one of the most impressive season openers of anyone by defeating preseason No. 4 Clemson 17-10 on the road.That vaulted LSU from No. 9 to No. 3 as the Tigers prepare to play Louisiana Tech in their home opener Saturday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.The win over Clemson ended a five-year losing streak in season openers and established LSU as a legitimate national championship contender, at least as much as a team can appear in early September.But Tigers coach Brian Kelly’s focus this season is on keeping his team focused on going 1-0 each week.”Clemson is a darn good football team, but it’s only one game,” Kelly said. “We have a standard of playing football at LSU, and we have to play to that standard every Saturday. We’re going to be demanding of our players because our expectation is to do the same things each and every week.”Kelly said the Tigers didn’t do a good job of that last season when they followed a 27-20 loss to USC with a sloppy 44-21 victory against FCS opponent Nicholls in the home opener.The biggest questions facing LSU going into the season surrounded its offensive line and its defense as a whole.Both LSU and Clemson played extremely well, although the Tigers outrushed Clemson 108-31. LSU also protected Garrett Nussmeier, who threw for 232 yards (completing 28 of 38) and a tie-breaking touchdown in the fourth quarter, while the defense limited Clemson to 261 yards.”We’ve put an emphasis on running the ball better and being more balanced on offense,” Kelly said.Linebacker Harold Perkins, who missed most of last season due to knee surgery, returned to the form he showed as a freshman All-American in 2022, finishing with five tackles, two quarterback hurries and a sack.