LSU’s early season woes continue to show their head
LSU head coach Brian Kelly entered his third season hoping that the start to the year wouldn’t repeat the previous two with a loss. The Tigers had the lead over the USC Trojans in the 4th quarter, but they were unable to put the game away. The Trojans scored 14 points in the final seven minutes and gave LSU its fifth-straight season-opening loss.
The Tigers were able to win 10 games in the previous two seasons under Kelly, so all hope is not lost. Frustration has seeped through the fanbase as well to Kelly, as he vented his frustration in the post-game interview.
Kelly’s record against ranked teams has been a cause of concern, especially early in his career at Notre Dame, but so far at LSU it hasn’t cost him too much grief with the fanbase - until now. The loss on Sunday now puts more pressure on winning games in the SEC if the Tigers want to get into the first ever 12-team college football playoff.
The good news is that LSU is 5-0 after a loss to a ranked opponent under Kelly’s tenure. They should make that 6-0 after this Saturday when they host Nicholls in the home opener. The remaining schedule should work out for them like it has in the previous two years. LSU was able to win at least three straight games following their opening loss in 2022 and 2023.
They’ll face a similar fate this year as they’ll play a string of unranked opponents until their matchup against #6 ranked Ole Miss in October.
Blake Baker’s defense has already shown improvements
One of the biggest question marks entering the USC matchup was how the Tigers’ defense would fare against Lincoln Riley’s offense. Although USC QB Miller Moss was able to pass for almost 400 yards of offense, the Tiger defense showed a lot of hope for three and half quarters.
There were multiple plays late in the game where LSU just couldn’t put the Trojan’s offense away, as the ball literally slipped out their hands on dropped interceptions and fumbles.
Two players who made an impact were LB Whit Weeks and DE Savion Jones. Weeks totaled six tackles including 1.5 tackle for a loss, and he nearly caught an interception late in the 4th quarter. Jones led the Tigers in sacks with the only two of the night. The LSU defense totaled seven tackles for loss, so while the sacks didn’t show up on the box score, they were able to get pressure on Moss and the SC running backs.
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In total, the defense gave up 27 points after just allowing 10 at the half. With a lot of missed opportunities, that could have been much lower.
Overall, you have to give credit to the USC quarterback. He was able to stay poised and make the plays in the 4th quarter. The Trojans essentially gave up on their running attack and relied on the moving the ball through the air, which led to a lot of Moss’ passing yardage.
The Trojan offense attacked LSU defensive back Sage Ryan, which led to the first touchdown of the game in the 1st quarter. We also saw some blunders in plays involving defensive back Major Burns. With lowlights, we had sophomore cornerback Ashton Stamps make some outstanding coverage plays.
The LSU secondary is still a work in progress, but overall, it’s light years better from what they put on the field last season.
Missed opportunities, discipline and lack of big plays lead to LSU’s downfall
The Tigers did themselves no favors on Sunday night, giving the Trojans opportunities to stay within striking distance. All of these mistakes led to what was a USC 4th quarterback comeback.
The first came on the Tigers first score of the night as Kyren Lacy scored LSU’s first touchdown of the season. He then was given a personal foul penalty after an excessive celebration aimed at the USC defensive back, a former Edna Karr standout. That led to a USC kickoff return that was almost run back for a touchdown if not for a tackle by kickoff specialist Aeron Burrell.
Lacy finished the 1st half with seven catches for 94 yards and his one touchdown. He saw one target from LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier in the 2nd half, seemingly making him ineffective.
The second biggest issue was the lack of big plays in the 2nd half. The Tigers came out firing in the 1st half, moving the ball effectively but unable to get the more than one touchdown. The second half saw an effort to run the ball on the Trojan defensive front.
Other than John Emery Jr’s 39-yard run, the LSU rushing attack was stagnant. It slowed down the offense and led to punts in three of the four LSU drives to start the 2nd half. With all the talk about how great the LSU offensive line was entering the season, the USC defensive line held their own.
Nussmeier looked good overall, but he probably wants two or three passes back that may have changed the outcome of the game. He finished the game with 304 passing yards and two touchdowns along with a game-ending interception. The Tigers offense definitely missed the big play ability of former QB Jayden Daniels, who was also able to use his legs to create highlights.
Overall, blame will come down on the coaches, but the players have to be held accountable. You could sense that in Coach Kelly after the game in how frustrated he became in his post-game press conference.
Coaches can only do so much, then its up to the players to make plays. USC outplayed LSU in the 4th quarter and the mistakes on the field all led up to 27-20 final score in Las Vegas. Expect to see a more disciplined approach from the Tigers the following few weeks.
The loss doesn’t change much in the path to an SEC championship, but it adds more urgency. We saw in 2022, even with a loss to FSU, the Tigers were still able to make it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.