What Happened With LSU on Sunday? Play-Calling, Penalties, and More…

It was an offseason of change and optimism in the Capitol City and the LSU Tigers. 3rd Year Head Coach Brian Kelly moved on from Defensive Coordinator Matt House, and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock made his way back to Notre Dame. The biggest change might be the change at Quarterback with Jayden Daniels going to the Washington Commanders after winning the Heisman Trophy in 2023.

The keys were handed to Redshirt Sophomore Garrett Nussmeier.

It was a summer full of talking. Could Nussmeier be THE guy? Is the offensive line the best in the count? How much would the defense improve? Most of those questions had pretty clear answers on Saturday Night. All of those except 1. Could LSU and Brian Kelly get over the hump of their new-found tradition of losing the first game of the season?

The answer is Not Yet as LSU would lose to USC 27-20 in Las Vegas and the Tigers will yet again begin their season 0-1 for the 5th season in a row. The final score doesn't tell the whole story as LSU led 17-13 late in the contest. Makes you wonder, what the heck happened with LSU on Sunday Night?

There is a lot to undress when you break down the game both during and afterward, but the short answer to what happened on Sunday Night? Brian Kelly, young coordinators, and the lack of trust late.

In the opening moments of the game, the Tigers put together a rather impressive drive through the air as Garrett Nussmeier and Kyren Lacy were off to a rampant start. The Tigers would march down the field with the ball on the 3-yard line and a 4th down decision incoming. Brian Kelly elected to gamble and to each his own. The gamble didn't pay off and the first set of points were left on the board.

As the game progressed, Garrett Nussmeier settled into what looked to be a really promising night. The biggest question regarding the Gunslinger has, and will always be, can he be aggressive but still protect the football? That answer is still unknown.

LSU was unable to establish a real run game behind what is set out to be one of the best Offensive Lines in the country. The Tigers had one drive where John Emery got rolling, outside of that, the run game was nowhere to be found. That proved costly in crunchtime situations.

LSU led USC 17-13 not just one offensive drive late, but two. The defense had shown the ability to get stops in crucial spots, a weakness of last season's squad. On both offensive possessions, LSU was adamant on trying to establish the run, even in the most crucial moments. The point is, that LSU had multiple opportunities to put away the fighting Trojans from Southern California and put aside the Opening Game demons that had gotten the best of them the four previous seasons.

Reality is, when you play with fire, you often get burnt more times than not. That proved on Sunday Night with Brian Kelly and his staff. Don't handcuff your GunSlinger and turn him into a younger Bo Nix. 4 air yards per attempt just isn't going to cut it with a run game that was as abysmal as it was on Sunday Night.

Now, to be completely fair, Lincoln Riley's squad is and looks much improved from just one season ago. Miller Moss looks to be another one of Riley's star-studded Quarterbacks. Moss and his receivers were exceptional all night long.

After the temper tantrum that Kelly threw on Saturday Night after the game about him being disappointed in his squad, the one thing I think we can all agree on is, that he has got to get his veteran players under wrap. Entirely too many unsportsmanlike penalties and after-the-play penalties.

Brian Kelly and staff will get back to work this week as they will face Nicholls on Saturday to open up Tiger Stadium. They will need to continue to improve in multiple areas, and they will. The defense should get better as the season goes along and Baker gets more time with the unit. The bigger questions are when will LSU allow Nussmeier to be himself and not handcuff him, and also how much better can the offensive line become?

WHAT'S NEXT?

Though it might feel like the sky is falling now for Tigers fans as they venture into another college football season with the first loss of the season coming in Week One, not all of it is bad. A lot of LSU's mistakes seem fixable and they have the time to do it. The next four weeks will be a real reset for the Tigers with games against less superior opponents than Southern California. The next real test for LSU will come on October 12th when the Tigers host Ole Miss inside Tiger Stadium.