Probably the most irritating factor about LSU’s season-opening 27-20 loss to USC in Las Vegas Saturday night time begins with a constructive.
On the primary drive of the sport, the LSU offense underneath Garrett Nussmeier seemed sharp. Nussmeier’s throws had been crisp, on time and goal, and completely layered. The drive stalled out within the purple zone, however arduous to be mad a couple of season-opening drive towards USC that ends in factors, regardless of the yr. Particularly one with a brand new quarterback and receiving core.
However as a substitute of taking the factors and cashing out, Brian Kelly, like many in Vegas this weekend, doubled down and let it journey. The fourth down try was no good, and LSU got here away with nothing to indicate for arguably their greatest drive of the sport.
I gained’t fault Kelly for believing in his crew and being aggressive. It’s the one high quality I sort of like that he has. However each coin has an obverse, and passing up three factors to start out the sport was emblematic of the poor teaching that may later value LSU dearly by way of a sample of errors that added up:
- When Kyren Lacy made an incredible catch to tie the sport, he mimed pointing a shotgun on the defensive again’s head, leading to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that allowed USC’s harmful Zacariah Department to set the Trojans up in nice area place.
- Popping out a timeout after a doubtful name towards the Tigers, LSU was referred to as for a delay of recreation penalty whereas Brian Kelly berated the officers.
- Regardless of the final general defensive progress proven, a number of USC drives had been propelled ahead by LSU defensive backs making no effort to trace the ball, permitting for textbook defensive move interference name.
- After having a stellar first half, Kyren Lacy all however disappeared from the sport as LSU’s play calling grew an increasing number of conservative as the sport wore on, together with much less and fewer downfield throws.
- After forcing USC right into a 2nd and 15 on the LSU 47-yard line with lower than 20 seconds left, a bust in protection and a straightforward concentrating on penalty moved USC all the way down to the LSU 18, the place they scored on a working play to take the ultimate 27-20 lead.
It’s a fifth-straight season opening loss for LSU, and a 3rd straight from Kelly, however this loss is greater than only a by-product of opening the season towards good groups. It’s a referendum on Brian Kelly.
When Brian Kelly was employed as LSU head coach, he was bought as a grasp program builder, a coach who took Notre Dame to the boundaries of what this system may develop into with the accessible expertise. He was bought as a ballcoach’s ballcoach, one who would be sure that this system did the fitting issues to ascertain itself as a mannequin of consistency.
Quick-forward to Sunday night time, when Brian Kelly angrily slammed the desk in his post-game press convention delivered the next rant:
“We had some guys play their butts off tonight and we’re sitting right here once more, we’re sitting right here once more speaking about the identical issues! About not ending when you might have an opponent able to place them away. However what we’re doing on the sideline is feeling like the sport is over.”
“I’m so offended about it that I’ve acquired to do one thing about it. I’m not doing a adequate job as a coach. I’ve acquired to educate them higher as a result of it’s unacceptable for us to not have discovered a option to win this soccer recreation. It’s ridiculous. It’s loopy.”
“Sadly, it’s clear that, once we stand up in a recreation, we have no idea tips on how to deal with ourselves. You’ve acquired to place groups away. We had a chance to place this crew away. We get complacent, we make extra errors once we’re forward as a substitute of getting a, you already know, higher focus and a steely eyed killer intuition. That’s disappointing.”
That could be a rant that you’d like to see in yr one or perhaps even yr two. To not open yr three whenever you bought your self as someone who would set up that their groups would play buttoned-up soccer. After a sure period of time, the mirror turns into much less of a mirrored image of issues it’s worthwhile to change and extra of a mirrored image of who you’re.
Whereas LSU is recruiting properly, the groups are simply as undisciplined in 2024 as they had been in 2022, there was no actual employees cohesion, whole models had been maybe uncovered as a legal responsibility (defensive position and secondary), and the playcalling and recreation administration left lots to be desired.
For as a lot as he’s gotten clowned on for his antics post-2019, no less than Ed Orgeron lived as much as the billing as a grasp recruiter, cashed in on the alignment of Joe Burrow, Ja’marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire et al., and gained a nationwide championship, fulfilling what The Binder stated he would do.
Final yr with a doubtlessly comparable lineup of Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Harold Perkins, and Will Campbell, Brian Kelly ended the season in Tampalando, Florida.
The season isn’t over, and there’s quite a lot of room for LSU to get it proper earlier than their date with Ole Miss on October 12th. And so they very properly could. Nor will LSU fireplace Kelly for an additional eight-win season, the cash won’t enable it. LSU will grin and bear one other New Yr’s journey to sunny Tampalando with a watch to subsequent yr.
However final night time’s loss raises extra existential questions than ones about this yr’s outcomes. As we go ahead, I simply wish to consider the season on one query:
What about Brian Kelly leads you to imagine he can win a nationwide title at LSU? That’s why Brian Kelly was employed. That’s the expectation at LSU. That’s what the 100 million {dollars} are for.