LSU head coach Brian Kelly took exception to a question from a reporter about the Tigers’ offensive performance in a 20-10 win over Florida on Saturday.
A journalist queried Kelly about what he’s “seeing with the offense” after LSU gained 322 yards, 44 fewer than the Gators.
“Stop. Really, is that the first question?” Kelly said. “We won the game 20-10. Try another question. What do you want me to tell you? I just laid it out for you. We played the game to win the game.”
The reporter then referenced LSU’s lack of success on third down as the Tigers went 4-of-14 in those scenarios. Kelly responded by saying they were much better (9-of-16) in a 23-7 victory over Louisiana Tech in their previous game.
The coach went on to call the reporter “spoiled” after he also criticized the LSU rushing attack. The Tigers finished with 102 yards on the ground, though 51 of those came on a run by Caden Durham inside the final two minutes.
Kelly is in his fourth season at LSU, so he’s well aware of the exacting standards at a major SEC program.
Nick Saban turned Alabama into a dynasty, but that didn’t stop Crimson Tide fans from being frustrated when the team wasn’t winning convincingly enough.
Ed Orgeron brought a title to Baton Rouge in 2019 and did so with one of the most dominant runs in modern college football history. Two years later, he was out of a job.
This is the burden a coach carries when he’s making almost $10 million annually. In Kelly’s case, it doesn’t help he failed to get LSU into the College Football Playoff in any of his first three years at the helm. The fanbase wants to see the results that were promised when the school made such a splashy hire.
Kelly may not like it and he may have a general point about the unrealistic expectations at marquee programs such as LSU. But college football fans have rarely been rational.
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