‘I’m tapping the brakes a little’: Brian Kelly makes bizarre defense of LSU’s struggling offense
The LSU Tigers are riding high right now, standing 3-0 overall and taking over the top spot in Kirk Herbstreit’s own rankings. Coming off an incredible defensive showing with five interceptions and allowing only 5.9 yards per pass and 2.9 yards per run, LSU can confidently say they have one side of the ball figured […]
The LSU Tigers are riding high right now, standing 3-0 overall and taking over the top spot in Kirk Herbstreit’s own rankings. Coming off an incredible defensive showing with five interceptions and allowing only 5.9 yards per pass and 2.9 yards per run, LSU can confidently say they have one side of the ball figured out. But contradictions are all around.
One day after LSU head coach Brian Kelly admitted that his offense needs to have higher standards, he went to bat for his offensive coordinator, Joe Sloan. In his fourth year at the school and second season as OC, Sloan is looking to maximize an incredibly talented unit. However, 2025 has been slow to get the fireworks going.
Here’s what Kelly said about Sloan’s job status and the work he’s put forth thus far.
Brian Kelly Defends OC Joe Sloan After Slow Start
“He’s doing what he’s asked to do to manage the game. They want to score points, but we have a top-10 defense, so I’m taping the brakes a little bit because of how good our defense is,” Kelly said.
This is one of the most bizarre defenses I can recall for a coordinator because the defense can’t continue to carry a team built more around its offense. With senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier flanked by one of the best supporting casts in the sport, LSU must score more than 23 points in key games to win. However, they managed only 37 combined points against Florida and Clemson, despite their defense creating numerous advantageous looks for them.
LSU managed to convert only four of 13 first downs while racking up 68 penalty yards and holding the ball for 22 minutes and 14 seconds. That’s not good enough, even if Florida was a tough defense to take on. Nussmeier and company haven’t been sharp, and that must change as the SEC schedule ramps up.
