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After their 27-20 loss to USC, LSU Football have lost their fifth straight season opener. While they faced a ranked team in USC (No. 23), the No.13 LSU squad still wasted a solid game from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. The junior completed 29 of 38 passes with 304 passing yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. This disappointing loss also made coach Brian Kelly mad enough to slam a table during a press conference after the game.
“We're sitting here again,” Brian Kelly said, before slamming the table. “We're sitting here again, talking about the same things–about not finishing when you have an opponent in a position to put 'em away. But what we're doing on the sideline is feeling like the game's over! And I'm so angry about it that I got to do something about it. I'm not doing a good enough job as a coach, and I got to coach 'em better. Because it's unacceptable for us not to have found a way to win this football game.”
LSU football falls flat off the bat
What's more frustrating for the LSU Tigers is that all five of their season-opening losses came in games where they were the favorites, answering why Brian Kelly got so mad that his team could not close games when they mattered. In the final minute vs. USC, Woody Marks scored a touchdown for the Trojans to break the 20-20 tie. However, LSU still had a chance to win in the final eight seconds, but Nussmeier's interception sealed their defeat.
Moreover, LSU wasted too many chances to take control of the game in the second half, letting USC hang around and steal the game in the fourth quarter. The Tigers didn't have the explosive offense that carried them in the past, thanks to 2024 No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, now of the Washington Commanders. With Daniels, the LSU Football squad had the best offensive unit in the nation for 2023.
Brian Kelly's third year with LSU hasn't quite delivered the results he wanted, which is a return to their former contender status. Under Kelly, the squad has floated over bowl eligibility, but they're firmly below true contending schools. Still, Kelly has a winning pedigree behind him, having left behind the Notre Dame football team, one of the top six winningest teams in college football.
Like Kelly, USC coach Lincoln Riley also left Oklahoma football for new opportunities, and like the LSU coach, Riley has yet to find consistent excellence with his new team, despite his own pedigree of winning.
LSU will play their home opener on Saturday against Nicholls Colonels in Baton Rouge. While the Tigers' season isn't over yet, they cannot afford to lose any more games if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.
