The LSU Tigers improved to 2-1 on the season with their first SEC win over South Carolina by a score of 36-33, but they didn't make it easy on themselves.

After their season-opening 27-20 loss to the USC Trojans, head coach Brian Kelly torched his team for not finishing the job.

"We had some guys play their butts off tonight…and we're sitting here again! We're sitting here again, talking about the same things! About not finishing when you have an opponent in a position to put them away. But what we're doing on the sideline is feeling like the game's over. And 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."

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LSU Tigers still struggling to finish games

The Tigers might have won the game, but their inability to finish games still haunts them. It nearly cost them at multiple points in the fourth quarter.

Now, the Tigers do deserve credit for coming back on the road. They got down 17-0 three minutes into the second quarter and clawed their way back thanks to freshman running back Caden Durham's two touchdowns

Despite some impressive performances, the Tigers still tried to give the game away.

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Turnovers continue to haunt Tigers

After a three and out in the fourth quarter down 33-29, the Tigers needed to get a stop on the Gamecocks, especially since the offense didn't stall much with Robby Ashford taking over for LaNorris Sellers.

Just three plays into the drive, the Tigers made a huge play by stripping Ashford and recovering a fumble inside the red zone. That gave the Tigers the ball at the Gamecocks 12 yard line. Unfortunately, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier misread the coverage, as he doesn't see a dropping safety from the line of scrimmage and throws an interception in the end zone. 

The one saving grace for the Tigers was an unnecessary roughness on edge rusher Kyle Kennard, which negated Nick Emmanwori's return for a touchdown. If that play had stood, the Tigers would have been down by 11 points and the game is likely over with less than six minutes left.

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Garrett Nussmeier avenges demons

The Tigers defense held the Gamecocks to just two yards on three plays after the interception to get the ball back with 3:28 left to play. They needed to get a touchdown to get the lead and they made it happen.

On a fourth down play, Nussmeier drew the Gamecocks offsides and launched a ball downfield to Kyren Lacy. He ended up being just out of bounds but that offsides gave them a first down. The very next play, Nussmeier and Lacy connected on a 29-yard pass to get inside the five yard line. That play was massive in getting the Tigers set up for Josh Williams' go-ahead touchdown run.

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Defense nearly gives the game away

Even with the Tigers taking the lead with 1:12 remaining, there is a little birdie in your head saying that their three-point lead wasn't safe. That came to fruition just one play after Bradyn Swinson sacked Ashford for a seven yard loss to force a third and eight.

The next play turned the tide for the Gamecocks as Ashford hit Vandrevius Jacobs on a wide-open 31-yard crossing route. On the play, the Tigers didn't get much of a pass rush and the coverage on the back end was poor at best. They followed it up by allowing a 15-yard run by Ashford to get them into field goal range. Ultimately, the Tigers got bailed out by Shane Beamer being complacent with a 49-yard field goal that kicker Alex Herrera ultimately missed.

End game is still a problem

The Tigers got lucky for multiple reasons on Saturday afternoon. They tried to give the game away but got lucky. South Carolina is a capable team in the SEC, but what happens when the Tigers face the likes of Alabama, Ole Miss and Oklahoma? They can't expect other teams to blow the game for them. The Tigers need real closers and right now, the best they have is the South Carolina kicker.