LSU head coach Brian Kelly is taking a beating on social media following a series of questionable decisions at the end of the first half vs. Clemson.
Garrett Nussmeier guided the Tigers to the red zone on 60-plus yard drive in the final minutes of the first half. Facing a fourth-and-2 from the 12-yard line with just 15 seconds left in the half, Kelly called his final timeout.
Rather than send his field goal kicker out to potentially make it a 10-6 game, Kelly chose to run another play and try for a touchdown to end the half. Nussmeier then threw a screen pass to Chris Hilton Jr., who ultimately fumbled the ball away.
Here’s a replay of the sequence:
While the outcome of the play was bad, fans and media are more curious about the process. As many point out below, even if LSU had converted on fourth down in that situation, it was likely to still end up kicking a field goal due to time constraints and a lack of timeouts.
Instead, Clemson took over possession, kneeled out the remainder of the clock and brought a 10-3 lead into the halftime break.
Here’s some of the reaction on social media to Kelly’s curious decision making:
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
