After suffering yet another painful season-opening loss, LSU coach Brian Kelly couldn’t contain his frustration.
In his postgame press conference following Sunday’s 27-20 defeat against USC in the Vegas Kickoff Classic, Kelly emphasized his point by pounding his fist down on the table so hard it nearly knocked over his water bottle.
‘We’re sitting here again … we’re sitting here again,’ Kelly said with an emphatic slam, ‘talking about the same things, about not finishing when you have an opponent in a position to put ’em away.’
LSU, ranked No. 12 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, led by four points with less than six minutes to play, but couldn’t stop the No. 23 Trojans from driving the length of the field in the final two minutes for the game-winning touchdown.
Kelly admitted it was the first time in his three years as LSU head coach that he’s been this displeased with his team.
‘I’m so angry about it that I’ve got to do something about it. I’m not doing a good enough job as a coach,’ Kelly said. ‘I’ve got to coach ’em better because it’s unacceptable for us not to have found a way to win this football game. It’s ridiculous.’
The loss extended a dubious streak for the Tigers, who have lost their opening game each of the past five seasons.
Particularly frustrating for Kelly and LSU was that the game-winning score was set up by a 15-yard targeting penalty on Tigers safety Jardin Gilbert that moved the ball to the Tigers’ 13-yard line. On the next play, USC’s Woody Marks scampered 13 yards into the end zone to snap a 20-20 tie and seal the Trojans’ victory.
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