The Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge got off to a rough start with the 24-23 heartbreaking loss to Florida State.
The LSU Tigers were outplayed pretty much the entire game, and even with the struggles, LSU had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation; however, the extra point was blocked. It was a microcosm of the entire game for LSU, which struggled to get its offense rolling.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels finished 26-of-35 for 209 yards and 2 touchdowns while adding 114 rushing yards. Kayshon Boutte caught just 2 passes for 20 yards and was a non-factor pretty much the entire night.
Special teams was a major struggle for LSU, as it muffed 2 punts had both an extra point and a field goal blocked.
Meanwhile, FSU’s offense had it rolling at times. Quarterback Jordan Travis threw for 260 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also added 31 rushing yards.
Following the loss, Brian Kelly spoke to the media, and below is what he said.
Brian Kelly congratulates Florida State on the win: “For four quarters, they played better football.”
— Julie Boudwin (@Julie_Boudwin) September 5, 2022
Brian Kelly said for a slight moment he thought about going for the 2-point conversion and win, but he really felt like percentage-wise they would execute the extra point.
He circled special teams mishaps as one of the most glaring issues to take away from the one-point loss.
— Shea Dixon (@Sheadixon) September 5, 2022
Pretty consistent theme from Brian Kelly that he and the coaching staff didn't prepare this team well enough. Lists several coaching mistakes they made, from punt returner choice to extra point blocking decisions. #LSU
— Brody Miller (@BrodyAMiller) September 5, 2022
Brian Kelly says Maason Smith had a knee injury and he'll need an MRI tomorrow. #LSU
— Brody Miller (@BrodyAMiller) September 5, 2022
Brian Kelly says LSU made a change on the left side of its line after the blocked field goal earlier in the game.
Pressure came from the left side on the XP.
Kelly: “That didn’t work.”
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 5, 2022
“We just have to learn how to play the game the right way for four quarters— we didn’t tackle very well, we didn’t get off the field on third down, we had two turnovers in our punt return game… anytime you have those situations you’re setting yourself up for a long night” #LSU pic.twitter.com/YsQyoscdUv
— Leah Vann (@LVann_Sports) September 5, 2022
“What we need to do better is to play with a sense of urgency— we have to coach better and I’m accountable for that.” -Kelly #LSU
— Leah Vann (@LVann_Sports) September 5, 2022
Brian Kelly: “Mistake after mistake for us, particularly in the first half.”
— Wilson Alexander (@whalexander_) September 5, 2022
Brian Kelly, after going on at length about the countless mistakes in this game, came back to say, "What we did well was we battled." #LSU pic.twitter.com/VRGmYvp8te
— Brody Miller (@BrodyAMiller) September 5, 2022
Brian Kelly: “What we’ve learned is, we’ve got to coach better. I’m accountable for that.” pic.twitter.com/80b6uQFeUx
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 5, 2022
Saturday Down South is a leading destination for college sports discussion and news.
