LSU football coach Brian Kelly understands the frustrations felt by Tigers fans in a loss to Alabama. LSU fans threw debris on the field at one point, to protest a penalty called against the squad. The Tigers lost to Alabama 42-13.
“If I was in the stands, I wouldn't be happy,” Kelly said, per ESPN. “I'm not advocating that you throw anything on the field. But I think it's like any other venue: I think you should use good judgment. But I wouldn't be happy if I was watching us play, either. I wasn't pleased with the way I coached or played, either.”
LSU football got called for a face mask penalty, when trying to tackle Alabama's Jalen Milroe. The play was during a critical moment, when it seemed the Tigers had made a critical third down stop. The penalty kept the drive alive, and Alabama would go on to score.
LSU is now 6-3 following the defeat.
LSU football struggled with rush defense against Alabama
LSU football gave up 420 total yards to Alabama in the game, including 311 rushing yards. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe got everything he wanted on the ground, gashing the Tigers defense for 185 rushing yards. Milroe also scored four rushing touchdowns.
“We're not reinventing the wheel when it comes to defending the quarterback,” Kelly added. “There's only a couple of ways to defend them. We have to be able to get our players — we're not trading any of them. There's no waiver wire. We're not bringing anybody up from the demo squad. We've got to come up with the right answers on what works best for the guys that we have, and it hasn't worked very well these last couple of games.”
With the loss, LSU football is essentially guaranteed another season without a trip to the College Football Playoff. LSU fans are deeply disappointed with that, considering all the fanfare and expectations heading into this game. LSU brought in a live tiger to the game, and fans were excited for the atmosphere.
Kelly says his team didn't live up to the moment.
“When you put on a jersey for LSU, there's a standard of football that those three letters on your jersey — it's a prerequisite, and we didn't live up to that. That's the disappointment,” he added.
LSU football next plays Florida on Saturday. The Tigers have lost two games in a row, after a defeat to Texas A&M.