Brian Kelly reveals pivotal question that will define LSU Tigers following brutal SEC loss to Florida Gators
Brian Kelly was quite frustrated following LSU's third loss in a row on Saturday as the Tigers lost 27-16. The team continues to struggle with many of the same issues every single week and it's hard to pinpoint what exactly is making everything go wrong.The run game still cannot find consistency. The defense gave up […]
Brian Kelly was quite frustrated following LSU's third loss in a row on Saturday as the Tigers lost 27-16. The team continues to struggle with many of the same issues every single week and it's hard to pinpoint what exactly is making everything go wrong.
The run game still cannot find consistency. The defense gave up three plays of 34 yards or more, two of which went for touchdowns, completely flipping the outcome of the game. The offensive line that had been one of the best in the country this year surrendered seven sacks. Everything was broken against Florida. How will LSU climb out of this hole they're in?
When talking with the media following the game Brian Kelly revealed the one pivotal question that's going to define the rest of LSU's 2024 college football season and perhaps the trajectory of the program:
Do you want to fight or not?
"This is really a simple exercise, 'Do you want to fight or not?', you know? Do you want to fight and take responsibility as coaches and players, that we're not playing well? And we're struggling right now. So, it's life. It's a myriad of things. But it's a reflection of what life's about. There's a rough spot here that we have to fight through. And we've got to do it together. So, if you're not a thumb pointer, if you're not somebody that's saying, 'I'm going to work, and continue to work to be better', then we don't have a place for you in the last couple weeks. But if you want to fight, and you want to keep working to get better then we're going to be alongside you."
Some strong words from Coach Kelly. If players who continue to struggle with execution refuse to fight, pushing hard to get better each and every day, they're going to find themselves on the bench. The fighters will earn their spot on the field.
This isn't some ground-breaking stance from Brian Kelly here. That's how it should be. The players who want it the most, take action to be their best, and inevitably execute best on the field will be the players any team turns to with regularity.
However, it's unfortunate that Brian Kelly has to differentiate between some players on LSU's team that are "fighters" by his standards and others who are not. When asked about what it's going to take to bounce back this season (and beyond, really), Kelly continued by saying this:
"Well, it's going to point out those that are not fighters. So we're going to put guys on the field that want to fight. And [guys] that want to do everything they do to correct where we are right now. And that is, struggling with consistent execution. And I've pointed out a number of times, negative plays, and ability to finish off drives in the end zone, and then the explosive plays on defense."
It sounds like coming into this week, and especially during this game against Florida, it became clear to Kelly that some of his players don't seem like "fighters" he's looking for. And after this week's game there will most definitely be some speculation as to who those players are.
It's not clear whether these two players fit that criteria, but Kelly did hold Bradyn Swinson and Sage Ryan out of the game for the first quarter. And he confirmed that it was a coaching decision, his decision, after the game. However, he would not elaborate saying, "Yeah, that was my decision. Coach's decision…I don't care to elaborate."
Kelly also exploded on the side line in a confrontation with Chris Hilton Jr. as he clearly cussed him out (as you can see in the post below).
It's clear that Brian Kelly is upset with quite a few players at the moment. But it also looks like some of his players aren't too happy with him either. Star wide receiver Kyren Lacy was seen coming off the field yelling wildly at Brian Kelly as one of LSU's third quarter drives failed yet again.
The broadcast didn't showcase the Lacy-Kelly confrontation like they did with Hilton, but it was obviously yet another heated sideline exchange.
Coach Kelly is likely going to have to ride a fine line between rallying the troops and potentially completely losing the team throughout these last couple weeks of the season. Yes, players need to fight, focus, and improve. But Kelly and his staff need to make sure they're doing their part well too.
Hopefully Kelly and the players can all come together, fight through this adversity, and take steps to get the LSU program back to where it needs to be. Things certainly don't look promising as of today though.
So far this season LSU hasn't been able to fix several critical issues, and a lot of that responsibility falls on coaching. If Kelly can't get his team to rally, showing signs of any improvement whatsoever, the hot seat "Fire Kelly!" narrative will continue to build into the off-season.
We'll be back with more LSU Tigers coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
