Brian Kelly talks about LSU’s outlook after Vanderbilt loss
After LSU’s loss to Vanderbilt, coach Brian Kelly said the Tigers needed to bounce back quickly and play error-free football to turn their season around.
Another SEC loss would be a crisis for LSU and coach Brian Kelly’s dominant tenure.
No. 17 Vanderbilt defeated the No. 10 Tigers, 31-24, by controlling the clock, commanding the line of scrimmage and winning in the red zone on both ends, playing cleaner, crisper and bolder football.
The Commodores are 6-1 for the first time in 75 years and are in the midst of the College Football Playoff buzz. LSU could make other plans.
After months of unwarranted hype heading into the regular season, the offense is very disappointing. The Tigers averaged 6.6 yards per play against Vanderbilt, but were unable to put together a sustained drive, missing several shots inside the Commodores’ territory and making just four field goal attempts.
Defensively, the program has made great strides under second-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker, but it still falls short against ranked teams. LSU allowed 239 rushing yards on 5.3 yards per carry and had no answer for quarterback Diego Pavia, who had 246 yards of total offense and three touchdowns.
Vanderbilt’s victory ended the series losing streak at 10.
Kelly is certainly an acquired taste. But when he’s winning soccer games, it’s easy to lose that flavor. Notre Dame was willing to accept 12 years of red-faced nonsense as part of the price for 113 wins and eight placings.
LSU doesn’t have the same kind of patience and never will. LSU’s coach resigned less than two months after its last loss to the Commodores. Kelly definitely won’t resign, but he’s heading toward leaving after his fourth season.
LSU, Vanderbilt, Georgia State lead the biggest winners and losers in Saturday’s college football games:
winner
georgia
After trailing 35-26 heading into the fourth quarter, No. 7 Georgia went on a 17-0 run to narrowly defeat No. 5 Mississippi State, reaffirming its status as an SEC powerhouse. It was the Bulldogs’ second win in the SEC shootout this season, after the victory over No. 11 Tennessee, and it shows how this team can adapt to different styles and defeat high-tempo teams, which will be a huge asset as Georgia looks at the type of teams it may face in the playoffs. The biggest star was quarterback Gunner Stockton, who had the most productive passing game of his career, completing 26 of 31 passes for 289 yards and four scores. He added 59 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
No. 12 Georgia Tech returned a fumble 95 yards for a score and mustered enough offense in the fourth quarter to beat Duke 27-18 and advance to 7-0 for the first time in 59 years. The Yellow Jackets trailed 10-7 late in the third quarter, but rallied and finally put the Blue Devils away with two long touchdown drives with less than five minutes remaining. Tech is 4-0 in the ACC for the first time in 27 years and is expected to continue climbing in Sunday’s new USA LBM Coaches Poll.
Diego Pavia
His performance against LSU put Pavia back in the Heisman Trophy conversation after suffering in a loss to No. 6 Alabama. Pavia’s case for national hardware is built not just on numbers, but on how it helped turn one of the weakest programs in the Power Four into a legitimate contender for the nation. He has shown grit and the ability to make plays in the biggest moments.
boise state
Boise State defeated previously undefeated UNLV 56-31 in a clear victory that clinched the pecking order at the top of the Mountain West. Running back Dylan Riley gained 201 yards and 13.4 yards per carry for the Broncos, who will take a breather next against Nevada before playing two important conference games against Fresno State and San Diego State. The Rebels’ loss is good news for the Americans, and knowing the Mountain West won’t field an undefeated champion should make things a little easier when it comes to the playoffs.
james madison
The Dukes’ offensive numbers in the 63-27 win over Old Dominion are worth mentioning: JMU threw for 313 yards, ran for 311 yards, averaged 7.9 yards per play, and held the ball for over 40 minutes in this matchup of Sun Belt championship favorites. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III had 295 passing yards, 11.8 yards per throw, two touchdowns, an additional 153 yards on the ground and four rushing scores.
Alabama-Birmingham
Alabama-Birmingham fired coach Trent Dilfer and a week later defeated 20th-ranked Memphis 31-24. That’s probably no coincidence. Memphis drove to the UAB 1-yard line with seconds left, but was assessed two false start penalties before quarterback AJ Hill’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete. This is a complete tragedy for the previously undefeated Tigers, as they pushed past Florida Atlantic and Tulsa to begin play in America, clearly missing out on one of the worst teams in the league, the Blazers. With this loss, Memphis will have to face three of the conference’s best teams: 23rd place South Florida, Tulane and Navy.
loser
mississippi
A loss in Athens is by no means fatal, but things could get interesting if the Rebels lose next week against No. 13 Oklahoma. This feels like a missed opportunity as Georgia State pulled away in the fourth quarter, but the bigger concern is how easily the Bulldogs could have won in the trenches. Georgia ran for 222 yards and gave up just 88 yards on 3.7 yards per carry. Another issue is the play of quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Despite scoring two points, he had his worst game of the year, shooting just 52.8% for a touchdown.
Clemson
You can stop waiting for Clemson to find the next gear and soar to the top of the ACC. The Tigers, playing without the injured Cade Klubnik, lost 35-24 to SMU, falling to 3-4 on the year and 2-3 in conference play, ending their chances of making the playoffs with the momentum they had in the second half of last year.
wisconsin
No one expected Wisconsin to beat No. 1 Ohio State. I should have scored points. One week after suffering a shutout loss at home to Iowa at Camp Randall Stadium for the program’s first shutout loss since 1980, the Badgers suffered a shutout loss to the Buckeyes 34-0, marking the first consecutive shutout losses at home since 1968. This is a dark, dark time for the University of Wisconsin as the very disappointing Luke Fickell era is coming to an end.
