Brian Kelly is a sensational head coach, but the SEC is a different animal. The longtime Notre Dame head coach is in his second season at LSU. He won the SEC West during his first year in Baton Rouge, but is now saddled with three losses in his second campaign with the team. For a while, LSU went toe-to-toe with Alabama over in Tuscaloosa, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades...
When speaking with the media on Monday after the tough loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Kelly reflected on where his LSU Tigers program is at. Is this is a good program? Oh, absolutely! But a great one? That remains to be seen. We know that you can win prolifically at LSU, and Kelly has done that pretty much everywhere he has been. However, the upper echelon of the SEC is rather unforgiving.
Although Kelly applauded his team's hard-fought effort vs. Alabama, it is falling on fans' deaf ears.
"The fight, just the way our guys handled the moment, being in that environment, it's another step that we want to get to. We want to win those games. But again, I was really proud of our football team in the compete level. We've gotta coach better in those situations and we've gotta make some more plays, certainly."
LSU is an excellent team that is fun to watch, but to say they are "closing the gap" is a bit of a stretch.
"But I told the team after the game, we did some really good things, but you have to be elite on the road. You have to be elite to beat teams like that. We're certainly not there yet, but we're closing the gap."
Kelly may have reminded us how good Alabama has been over the last few years since winning it all, but keep in mind that LSU is only four seasons removed from its most recent national title as well.
"I know nobody wants to hear that. They want to be elite right now, but that's team 45-5 over the last 50 games, they won a national championship and were the runners up. Over the same 50 games, we don't have the same record, but we're gonna get there. We're gonna get to elite and we're gonna continue to build it to get to that."
The College Football Playoff is expanding next year, but LSU does not play for participation trophies.
Brian Kelly's finesse comments regarding LSU are falling on deaf ears
When LSU pried Kelly away from Notre Dame, it was about two things, one for each side of the equation. For LSU, it was about adding a championship-caliber head coach, one who has coached in meaningful postseason games with great regularity. Kelly may not have won those games, but he certainly got there at Notre Dame. As for Kelly, he wanted to go to a place where he could win it all.
I understand fully that this is hard. LSU is a top-10 program all-time in the pantheon of the sport of college football. Being dynastic in Baton Rouge is challenging, given that the Bayou Bengals play in the same league as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and others. However, all three of Kelly's LSU predecessors have won a national title there in Baton Rouge: Ed Orgeron, Les Miles and Nick Saban.
Offensively, yes, I would say LSU has closed the gap. Jayden Daniels was able to take his game to an even higher level this year. Truth be told, I thought he was capped out entering this season after last year's breakthrough campaign for him. He proved me wrong, as he is an infinitely better player than he was for Herm Edwards at Arizona State. On the offensive side of the ball, I have no issues with LSU.
But what about the defense? Yes, what about the defense? See therein lies the biggest issue Kelly and his staff have to navigate and solve. LSU is DBU, but its pass defense has been utterly atrocious at times. Defensive excellence was a calling card under Saban, Miles, and to some extent, Orgeron. I think what has plagued LSU the last two years has been its play of the secondary. Where are the DBs?
They are on other Power Five programs' rosters. Louisiana has historically had a competitive edge in that position group department. High school football is a huge deal in-state, and many of its best players are in the defensive backfield. While whatever contributed to the downfall of Coach O less than a year after winning it all was far more invasive, LSU is losing its grip on its home-grown talent.
I think as long as Kelly can build up a strong relationship with the high school coaches in state, he should be fine. Having the Catholic connection from all his years at Notre Dame will help him recruit nationally, as well as having an in with some programs in-state who did not love his fake Cajun accent. Kelly is a smart coach and an adaptive one, but he can't win big at LSU if he does not have a defense.
The quickest way LSU can close the gap on Alabama and Georgia is to get better secondary play.
