ince Brian Kelly’s arrival in 2022, LSU has dropped its season opener in each of his first three years, losing to Florida State twice and USC once. That all changed this year, as LSU made a statement with a dominant Week 1 win over Clemson, a victory that felt like the breakthrough Tiger nation has been waiting for under Kelly.
However, following their impressive win over Clemson, LSU had a major letdown at home against Louisiana Tech, raising questions about its offense. According to LSU Tigers Wire, head coach Brian Kelly pointed to Garrett Nussmeier’s struggles but emphasized that there was poor execution across the entire offensive unit. “That’s micro-managing the situation, again,” Kelly said. “He’s part of everybody. I don’t know that there’s one guy that you pull out and say, ‘well, that’s the guy.’ He knows he’s got to play better, too. I’ve got to coach better. He’s got to play better.”
LSU Stumbles in Letdown Performance Against Louisiana Tech
After making a national statement and putting the entire college football world on notice in Week 1, LSU’s offense took a clear step back in its home opener. As Yahoo Sports, citing LSU Tigers Wire reported, LSU looked out of sync in their 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech, with Garrett Nussmeier struggling to find a rhythm behind a very inconsistent offensive line.
Garrett Nussmeier’s Heisman-level play in the opener did not carry over to Week 2. He opened the game with an underthrow to Barion Brown that was picked off, setting the tone for a shaky outing. He finished the game with 237 pass yards and a touchdown, completing only 26 of his 41 passes, but the problems went beyond his inconsistent play. LSU dealt with offensive line injuries throughout the game that led to three sacks, as well as a very inconsistent run game that only averaged 3.8 yards per carry.
Coming into the season, expectations were very high for this LSU offense, with Nussmeier entering as one of the Heisman Trophy favorites. The Tigers also returned playmakers Aaron Anderson, Chris Hitlon and Zavion Thomas, while bringing in proven transfers Barion Brown and Nic Anderson. Over the last two seasons under Coach Kelly, the LSU offense has averaged 38 points per game, which makes only scoring 23 at home against a group of 5 opponent all the more concerning.
LSU’s Season Outlook & the Pressure on Brian Kelly
In three seasons at LSU, Brian Kelly has a 31-11 record but has yet to deliver an SEC Championship or College Football Playoff appearance. By LSU standards, his tenure has been considered very underwhelming, and the pressure is only growing as Year 4 begins.
Kelly has underachieved with some very talented rosters, including a team led by Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. However, during his tenure, LSU’s defense has often been the weak link. This offseason, LSU spent heavily in the transfer portal to address its defensive shortcomings over the last two seasons. The Tigers added key pieces like Florida EDGE Jack Pyburn and Virginia Tech cornerback Mansoor Delane to rebuild the unit. After two games, the revamped defense has delivered, allowing only 17 combined points.
Even after a rocky showing in Week 2, LSU is exactly where they want to be at 2-0 with a massive win over Clemson on their resume. But with SEC play on deck, starting with Florida Saturday night at home, the path ahead will be extremely challenging. As it stands right now, the Tigers will face six ranked opponents, including road trips to Ole Miss, Alabama and Oklahoma, plus home matchups with South Carolina and Texas A&M. To stay in the hunt for an SEC title and College Football Playoff berth, LSU will need far more consistency than showed in years past under Kelly because the expectations in Baton Rouge remain nothing short of a National Championship.
With LSU currently ranked No. 3 in the country, the question now is whether this will be the year Brian Kelly finally breaks through? Is it his final chance to prove he belongs in the SEC? As the pressure continues to mount, only time will tell. For now, The Tigers must put their struggles against Louisiana Tech behind them and turn their full attention to their matchup tomorrow night against the Florida Gators.
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