LSU football An almost stunning post-game news conference followed Florida State’s thrashing of LSU with more tearing.
LSU football No one escaped the scorching criticism of Brian Kelly as he exposed the flaws in LSU football. After a defeat in a tough atmosphere to a top-10 opponent, he called out himself, his staff, and his squad in an unconstrained manner that was uncommon for a college coach.
After No. 5 LSU’s 45-24 defeat to No. 8 Florida State on Sunday, Kelly declared, “We clearly are not the football team I thought we were.
Just getting warmed up, Kelly.
From a coaching and player perspective, he declared, “This is a total failure that we have to obviously address and own.”
Kelly called his team a bunch of pretenders.
We believed we were the Georgia Bulldogs, the two-time defending national champions, or something, he added.
People that sit in my chair are typically the ones who receive such scathing criticism of a performance.
Since LSU’s own coach offered none, I probably shouldn’t bother to defend them, but I will add that this meeting of two talented teams was close for more than three quarters. LSU missed out on a lot of points because they failed to perform in a couple crucial fourth-down scenarios.
The cold hard truth, though, is that FSU outplayed LSU at the line of scrimmage, quarterback Jordan Travis of FSU outperformed LSU’s Jayden Daniels, wide receivers for FSU outperformed LSU, and LSU’s secondary appeared to be the weakness Kelly had warned it might be.
Travis experienced some pressure from LSU during the first half, but after the break, he was free to play in comfortable gaps as he and star wide receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson torched the Tigers.
After an embarrassing loss to Florida State, the Tigers are given a grade.
The stars for the Seminoles performed admirably.
Star Tigers players performed like regular folks.
After Harold Perkins’ mysterious disappearance, the Witness Protection Program should consult LSU for advice on how to conceal someone. As a freshman edge rusher, Perkins was a troublemaker. Prior to the current season, LSU moved him to inside linebacker. One of the nation’s most promising young players made five tackles against FSU without ever putting pressure on the quarterback.
What LSU received from one of its expected stars on Sunday won’t hold, especially not for a defense with a patchwork secondary, so perhaps the Tigers should switch Perkins to see ball, get ball. It must be more intimidating to face the Tigers.
Daniels appeared to have gone back to the quarterback who had trouble making reads in the season opener against Florida State the year before. On too many run-pass option plays, he either missed open targets or read them incorrectly.
Daniels stated, “Coach was accurate about what he was talking about, the urgency and the decisions we make. It everything comes back to me. I have to motivate the team because I am the captain and quarterback.
Perhaps realizing that its line couldn’t handle FSU’s physicality, LSU barely attempted to run the ball.
A few days prior, Kelly’s confidence was at an all-time high. He declared that LSU would “beat the heck out of Florida State.”
The Tigers didn’t support their coach’s lofty rhetoric.
FSU coach Mike Norvell praised his team’s ability to compete, saying, “It’s good to be able to play the game.”
While at Notre Dame, The storyline was put on hold after victory over Alabama in November, but it has returned with the Tigers’ second defeat to FSU in as many seasons.
Kelly’s first year at LSU was typified by the Tigers’ ability to bounce back and display tenacity following a shoddy loss to the Seminoles. It wasn’t intended for this season to be reduced to a feel-good tale of a club rising from the ashes.
With a high preseason rating, a senior quarterback who had been given much fanfare, a wealth of skill, and expectations of competing for the College Football Playoff, Tigers football arrived here.
There was a great deal of anticipation surrounding a product that didn’t live up to expectations, but don’t just take it from me. Listen to the coach who put this effort together.
Kelly called it “disappointing.”
That was one of his gentler criticisms of this failure.