Brian Kelly acknowledged that quarterback play was part of the reason LSU lost 27-20 on USC on Sunday night in Las Vegas.

Miller Moss and Garrett Nussmeier both got off to outstanding starts, but it was Moss who carried through his strong performance through all 4 quarters. In the final stanza, Moss completed 11-of-14 passes for 146 yards and 1 touchdown. Nussmeier was just 5-of-9 for 73 yard and an interception in the final quarter.

“They’ve got some good athletes. I thought the quarterback played well tonight,” Kelly said. “He outplayed our quarterback. He made the plays when he needed to.”

In addition to throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass in the 4th quarter, Moss also made a couple of big-time throws on USC’s game-winning drive. The Trojans found the end zone with just 8 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Still, Nussmeier put up a solid stat line in his first game as LSU’s starter: 29-of-38 for 304 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. LSU’s offense was solid overall, averaging 6.6 yards per play.

Kelly was visibly frustrated about the loss in his postgame press conference and said he would be making adjustments to help ensure his team can close out games like this one in the future.

LSU will host Nicholls in Week 2.