LSU’s 4-game winning streak is over.

The Tigers’ stay in the AP poll at No. 25 lasted just 1 week.

It all ended after the 40-13 thrashing at the hands of No. 8 Tennessee on Saturday in Tiger Stadium.

Now it’s Tell the Truth Monday.

Brian Kelly doesn’t call it Tell the Truth Monday. But much of the truth on this Monday came from the head coach’s mouth last Monday.

It was 2 days after LSU escaped Auburn with a less-than-scintillating 20-17 victory.

Kelly said that through 5 games, his team had demonstrated that it had heart and would fight. He also said that heart and fight can only take you so far without execution.

And no amount of heart and fight could have made up for the Tigers’ poor execution against the Vols.

Kelly said that quarterback Jayden Daniels needs to be more aggressive in the passing game. Daniels still does.

Kelly said that the way the passing game performed against Auburn will not bring sustained success in the SEC. The 300 passing yards against Tennessee were a lot more than the 85 against Auburn, but LSU had nothing to show for it.

Kelly said getting the passing game fixed was going to require improvement from the coaches and players. He’s still looking for that improvement.

Still, the Tigers are 4-2 and 2-1 in the SEC — which isn’t all that bad — as they prepare to visit Florida on Saturday.

But this team is limited. It has shortcomings on offense, defense and special teams.

Kelly acknowledged as much while also protecting his players after Saturday’s game. He kept repeating 1 theme.

The poor performance against the more talented Vols was the coaching staff’s fault. He likes this team. The players are working hard and playing hard.

Sure there are things the players can do better, but the No. 1 issue is that the coaches have to do a better job of coaching these players.

This is what Kelly and his staff have to work with this season, which is now halfway over. They have made personnel changes and have a clearer understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of individuals as well as the entire team.

There aren’t many clear-cut strengths, and there are more weaknesses than a team in the SEC West can afford if it wants to contend.

But this is the reality. And it’s not surprising.

Kelly has this job because the program plummeted under Ed Orgeron in the 2 years after the national championship season in 2019.

This is the 1st season of a multiyear rebuilding project.

Shortcomings were evident in the season-opening loss to Florida State. They didn’t matter in wins against Southern and New Mexico. They were overcome in wins against Mississippi State and Auburn. They were exposed by Tennessee.

They aren’t going away.

The offensive line is a work in progress that now features multiple health issues. The running back committee is missing 1 of its members. The quarterback vacillates between being judicious and indecisive, and the passing game is average.

The defense has mostly played well. But a few injuries have exposed a lack of depth, and a series of lineup changes have led to communication issues that have contributed to occasional breakdowns.

The special teams were awful to start the season, showed modest improvement, then took a step back against Tennessee.

Other than wide receiver Kayshon Boutte falling well short of the productivity he showed as a Biletnikoff Award candidate before being injured midway through last season, there’s little evidence that the Tigers are performing below what their talent level suggests.

The determination the Tigers showed in nearly stealing a win against Florida State and overcoming 2- and 3-score deficits to beat Mississippi State and Auburn has enabled them to reach the midpoint with a record consistent with realistic preseason expectations.

The 2nd half of the schedule appears more difficult than the 1st because it features 5 SEC opponents compared to just 3 thus far. But it no longer appears as difficult as it once did, thanks to the recent struggles of Arkansas and Texas A&M.

It will be a battle for LSU every week. There could be another game or 2 like the 1 against Tennessee. And there could be a few like the ones against Mississippi State and Auburn.

The truth is that the Tigers aren’t a particularly good team. Neither are they a bad team.

They’re a team with a pretty low ceiling.

That’s not surprising.

It’s just the truth.