Last year, by just about any measure, LSU had the nation’s best offense — points, yards, Heisman trophies, watchability, etc.

“Clearly that wasn’t good enough,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said. “We need balance. We need to complement each other.”

Kelly has won 10 games in each of his first two seasons at LSU, but even if this year’s expanded 12-team College Football Playoff had been in effect, the Tigers would not have sniffed the playoffs either season.

“We all know that the expectation has been raised,” said quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, a Lake Charles native who takes the offensive reigns from Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. “We all know that we aren’t OK with winning 10.”

Kelly made the 2013 Bowl Championship Series title game in his third year at Notre Dame, his previous coaching stop, and won conference titles before that in his third years at both Central Michigan and Cincinnati.

It was not hard to pinpoint the stumbling block last year— a defense that

allowed the most points and yards in school history. It was as historically leaky as the offense was historically dynamic.

“The challenge this year for us,” Kelly said, “is to make the kind of strides that bring our defense up to the standard to play for a championship.

“We have to play better defense. I think we’ve made necessary strides. You can’t have the No. 1 offense in the country and not the kind of defense to get to the next level. We have to complement each other. We feel like we’ve done that.”

The Tigers open the season ranked No. 13 in the nation, but were predicted fifth in the Southeastern Conference by the media.

The Tigers have to replace Daniels and two first-round picks at wide receiver to the NFL, but it was Kelly’s choice to bring in an entirely new defensive coaching staff.

Blake Baker is the new defensive coordinator, brought in from Missouri.

“The defenses he’s coached, particularly at Missouri, have been really good at getting off the field on third down,” Kelly said.

Kelly said he likes what he’s seen so far, particularly in the much maligned and often-toasted secondary.

“I like the way our corners have held up,” he said of August drills. “One thing we all lived through last year was too many (opposing) big plays.

“What I like the most is the deflected balls. There’s balls we’re competing for. We don’t have those ‘What-the-heck plays? What-happened-out-there plays? Why is somebody wide open?’

“There’s certainly a more consistent approach, not having blown coverages. We’re eliminating those big chunk plays and that’s Job 1.”

The defensive front, where Kelly said he expects to play five or six tackles, should be better. He said the depth is also there to rotate in five edge rushers and five linebackers.

“The sum of this team will be greater than any of its parts,” he said. “A lot of guys are going to integral in its success.”

But the star of the defense is clearly linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., a preseason all-American.

After a dazzling, playmaking freshmen season, Perkins at times struggled last season while playing more inside.

But Kelly said he thinks Perkins will strive in Baker’s more blitz-oriented style.

“Our guys have been able to execute and play really fast in Blake’s system, without having paralysis by analysis.” Kelly said.

“We’re having a hard time blocking (Perkins),” he said, “and we’ve got a pretty good offensive line.”

That offensive line returns four starters, including a pair of tackles, Will Campbell and Emery Jones, who are both projected as first-round NFL picks next spring.

Even if the offense approaches the production that last season’s football fireworks put up, it’s likely to have a different look.

Minus Daniel’s dual-threat magic, it’s likely to be more run-oriented and Nussmeier, while no sitting statute, is more of a straight drop-back passer.

Nussmeier has performed well off the bench while waiting three years to get his shot, and in his first career start in last season’s ReliaQuest Bowl he was named the MVP after directing a last-minute, 98-yard drive to beat Wisconsin 35-31.

Kelly said he’s not worried that Nussmeier has picked up something a Gunslinger reputation in his spot appearances, not afraid to throw into tight coverage.

“His interceptions were in mop-up duty, trying to make a play,” Kelly said. “It wasn’t his car, whole different, and he was driving that thing fast and didn’t care if he dented it.

“It’s his car now, and he’s really careful that he doesn’t mess it up. There’s a different mind-set.”

But the expectations never change.

“Our mission is to win championships,” Kelly said.