By Rock Westfall
When Brian Kelly shockingly walked out on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2021, they were still in the hunt for the College Football Playoff. Deep down, Kelly did not believe Notre Dame would make the CFP and was proven correct.
In turn, Kelly signed with the LSU Tigers based on the theory that Notre Dame’s national championship potential was limited. By contrast, Kelly believed that LSU offered a legitimate shot at completing his career resume with a national championship. Kelly may prove to have been mistaken.
Following Saturday night’s 38-23 road loss to the Texas A&M Aggies, LSU is 6-2 and has no margin for error. The Bayou Bengals must win out the rest of the way and get some help if they are to make the expanded CFP this year. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is 7-1 and ranked 8th in the AP Top 25 and 9th in the AFCA Coaches Poll. In comparison, LSU ranks 16th in the AP and AFCA polls.
The most worrisome aspect of LSU’s loss at Kyle Field is that it was the worst possible indicator that Brian Kelly may not be the answer in Baton Rouge.
https://twitter.com/marcwithglasses/status/1851026120918937971
Kelly’s Zeroes – LSU’s Interior Concerns Revealed & Exploited
LSU started well at Texas A&M and seemed to have the game under control with a 17-7 halftime lead. But Texas A&M coach Mike Elko adjusted to reality and replaced starting quarterback Connor Weigman with Marcel Reed, who saw action in four games (3 starts) when Weigman was injured earlier this season.
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In comparison, Brian Kelly and his defensive staff failed to adjust to Reed, who added a dynamic running element that Weigman lacks. Reed ran for 62 yards on nine carries and scored three touchdowns while adding 70 yards passing (completing 2 of 2 attempts). Reed’s presence opened up the entire Aggie offense and left LSU off-balance.
Senior LSU linebacker Greg Penn said that LSU “really didn’t prepare” for Reed, based on Weigman’s strong performances since returning from his injury.
Kelly tried to clean up the controversy to no avail saying:
“We prepared for Conner to play, so a lot of reps for focused on the offense that Conner is part of. Throughout camp, throughout spring ball, throughout the course of the season, we have a defense and a defensive structure that stops quarterback run, that stops read option. You have to. The fact of the matter is we just didn’t execute it as well.”
Overall, the Aggies gained 242 yards rushing on 49 attempts for 4.9 yards per carry. Offensively, LSU rushed for only 24 yards on 23 attempts for an average of 1.0 yards per carry.
Such an abysmal performance on both sides of the line is indicative of a team that is not of SEC Championship caliber.
Without a legitimate ground game, LSU quarterback Nussmeier had his worst performance of the season while being tasked with shouldering the LSU offensive burden. The junior threw three interceptions, going 25 of 50 for 405 yards and two touchdowns.
Kelly said the struggle was due to a combination of factors, starting with the losses of individual matchups. He claimed that LSU made several poor post-snap reads by running into a loaded box. In addition, the team’s running backs weren’t able to make plays in space to force missed tackles.
Additionally, Kelly implicated himself by claiming the Tigers are not built to run screen passes because screens require athletic offensive linemen to get out in space, but LSU seemingly lacks that ability this year. Why?
Now, in his third season in the Bayou, that is a poor look. In the SEC, quality interior line play is mandatory for success. LSU doesn’t have it on either side.
Meanwhile, the field goal unit was an abomination. The normally reliable Damian Ramos missed two field goal attempts and made one, while a failed snap botched a fourth try late in the third quarter. Additionally, the two misses were not entirely Ramos’ fault due to poor snaps and holds. Previously, LSU and Ramos suffered from a similar problem against Ole Miss.
Show me a good kicking game and I’ll show you a good coach. Show me a bad one and…
“That’s twice now that’s happened,” vowed Kelly. “It’s unacceptable. We’ll get it fixed. It’s never going to happen again. Ever.”
https://twitter.com/BenScottStevens/status/1850362865527542058
Was It Notre Dame, Or Was It Brian Kelly?
The loss at Texas A&M, coupled with Notre Dame’s strong run, has left Fighting Irish and Bayou Bengal fans questioning Kelly’s ability to win a national championship. Kelly is known for blowout losses in the postseason to stronger programs, including the College Football Playoff and the National Championship Game. He has lost six of his last eight games against AP Top 20 teams.
Getting routed in the second half at Texas A&M has sparked doubts that Kelly will get his national championship, especially with an offensive line that can’t bust a grape and a defense that can’t stand up to quality opponents.
The old theory that Kelly maximized what could be accomplished at Notre Dame is being re-examined. Head coach Marcus Freeman seems to be getting more out of the Fighting Irish than Kelly, who is not getting more out of LSU than what Ed Orgeron delivered.
Brian Kelly would be well-advised to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide at Death Valley on November 9.
But even if he were to roll the Tide, his program is too limited for a serious run at a national championship, at least for now.
https://twitter.com/Insidetheirish/status/1850375434485297337
