There was plenty of drama in Brian Kelly’s first season as LSU’s football coach.
Brian Kelly’s Tigers’ comeback attempt against Florida State on Sunday night ended abruptly when Seminoles cornerback Shyheim Brown obstructed Damian Ramos’ kick to give Florida State a 24-23 victory after they had recovered after falling behind by 14 points in the fourth quarter. The Tigers only needed one more point to force overtime.
After stopping Brian Kelly’s LSU’s attempted field goal in the first half, Florida State blocked another kick that night.
However, the Tigers’ difficulties on special teams weren’t just in the kicking department. Additionally, they mishandled two punts, which the Seminoles both recovered.
It was a poor beginning for Kelly’s time at LSU. Since Gerry DiNardo in 1995, he became the first Tigers manager to lose his debut.
In late November, Kelly, who had served as head coach at Notre Dame for the previous 12 seasons and had compiled a record of 113-40, agreed to a 10-year, $95 million deal to take over at LSU in place of Ed Orgeron, who was out of the job less than 3 years after capturing the national championship.
Brian Kelly’s Managerial Debut Was Not Enjoyable As Florida State Wins:
Jayden Daniels, the starting quarterback from Arizona State, was one of the transfers that Kelly added to the roster during the offseason.
With just one second left and his team trailing by seven points on the 2-yard line, Daniels tossed what looked to be the game-tying score to Jaray Jenkins before the extra point was blocked. Daniels went 26 of 35 throwing for 209 yards and two scores with no interceptions while playing behind a subpar offensive line. Additionally, he carried it 16 times for 114 yards.
Kayshon Boutte, a top wide receiver for LSU and a potential first-round choice in the 2019 NFL Draft, had two drops and only managed two catches for 20 yards.