For the fifth consecutive year, the LSU football team lost its season opener.
Then-No. 23 USC upset then No. 13 LSU, 27-20, Sunday at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium after Trojans first-year starting quarterback Miller Moss executed a game-winning drive with less than two minutes left in the game. The drive occurred right after Tiger quarterback Garrett Nussmeier led a drive that resulted in a field goal that tied the game at 20-20.
Final from Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/YOZ437r1E6
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 2, 2024
The Tigers were up by four points with just six minutes left in the fourth quarter when they allowed USC to rally, which caused Tigers coach Brian Kelly to rant about his team not being able to finish games:
Kelly was visibly upset in his post-game news conference. His water bottle nearly tipped over as he slammed his fist on the news conference table:
Kelly put the blame of the loss on himself, saying he needs to “coach them better.”
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LSU, which dropped to No. 18 in the Associated Press poll released Tuesday, will play against Nicholls State (0-1) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network+) when Kelly will try to get his team back on track with a statement win in its home opener at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
LSU knows how to bounce back from an opening loss. Last year, the Tigers beat Grambling State 72-10 following a 45-24 loss to FSU. And in 2022, the Tigers regained momentum following a season-opening 24-23 loss to FSU with a 65-17 win against Southern U.