Following the Tigers 27-20 loss to USC on Sunday night, LSU football coach Brian Kelly sat down at the table for his postgame press conference looking like a guy who had a tough day at the office. It’s because he did, and he needed to vent.
“This is the first time since I’ve been here that I’m pretty angry,” Kelly said.
There were multiple reasons for Kelly’s anger.
Number one on the list, not scoring more touchdowns.
And maybe Kelly should direct some of that anger towards himself as his decision on the opening drive to go for it on fourth and goal from the USC three-yard line backfired. The Tigers did not score as USC drew up a perfectly timed blitz that caught LSU’s new starting center DJ Chester off guard and inexperienced quarterback Garrett Nussmeier panicked and threw the ball away.
There were also drives in the first and fourth quarters that LSU had to settle for field goals.
In the fourth quarter, LSU got down to the USC 14-yard line, but after a John Emery two-yard run and two incompletions from Garrett Nussmeier, Damien Ramos was called on to kick to a 31-yard field goal.
Kelly is also upset with two 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalties called against his team. Kyren Lacy did a shooting gun motion towards USC after hauling in a 19-yard touchdown catch.
That penalty forced LSU to kick off from its own 20-yard line, which allowed USC All-American returner Zachariah Branch returning the kick 46 yards, which set up the Trojans first touchdown.
The second 15-yard penalty came when safety Major Burns took his helmet off after the defense stopped USC on fourth down in the fourth quarter. Instead of getting the ball at the 36-yard line, LSU got it at the 21-yard line, punted the ball three plays later, USC went ahead and scored a go-ahead touchdown.
The Tigers had ten penalties on the day and two of them were false starts called on Will Campbell, something you would not expect from a veteran leader.
There are other reasons for Kelly’s frustration.
LSU’s defensive line looked much Defensive end Sai’von Jones had two sacks, defensive end Paris Shand had three tackles, one for a loss and defensive tackle Gio Paez had four tackles.
But the defensive secondary is lacking.
Now give credit to USC quarterback Miller Moss and his talented group of receivers led by Kyron Hudson, for making some nice plays, but LSU’s defensive backs continue to struggle in coverage, with technique and taking bad angles.
Ashton Stamps and Jordan Allen performed well, but it was a tough day for Sage Ryan and Jardin Gilbert, who was ejected late in the fourth quarter for targeting and will miss the first half of the Nicholls game.
Nussmeier and Lacy had a strong connection early on. Lacy caught seven passes, but didn’t catch a pass in the second half and was targeted twice.
LSU rushed for 117 yards and 4.5 yards a carry. Sixth-year running back John Emery gave the offense a huge lift when busted out for a 39-yard run in the third quarter to set up a touchdown that made it 17-13 LSU.
Kelly said the Tigers ran the ball well enough to win.
But when they needed to run the ball they could not.
Up by four, midway through the fourth quarter, that’s when you want the running game to take over, but LSU only ran for three yards in the fourth quarter. A very disappointing development considering all of the talk about LSU leaning on a traditional running game and having one of the best offensive lines in the country.
Kelly joins Curley Hallman as the only two LSU coaches since 1955 to lose their first three season openers.
In each case for Kelly, the other team was more prepared and that’s why Kelly said multiple times following Sunday night’s defeat that it falls on him. BK is scratching his head on why the Tigers keep failing at critical points of the game.
“We’re sitting here again, talking about the same things,” said Kelly who pounded his fist on the table.
All is not lost. It was a good showing for Nussmeier. The Tigers will need to develop more big plays through the passing game and that will come with time and a healthy Chris Hilton, who sat with a bone bruise.
The defensive line and LSU’s starting linebackers, Harold Perkins and Greg Penn, played well. Ramos continues to be a consistent kicker.
And with a 12-team playoff, LSU can still lose another game and still get into the tournament.
But a couple more losses this season, and it will be the LSU fanbase pounding the table and demanding better from a highly-paid coaching staff.
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