Brian Kelly throws his LSU team under the bus in post-game interview following third straight season opening loss

After a 27-20 loss to the USC Trojans on Sunday night, LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly livid. So livid that he pounded the table in frustration.

"It's the first time since I've been here [at LSU] that I'm angry at my football team."

It was a frustrating game for the Tigers. They looked good throughout the game, and the defense showed some life after being really poor for the first two years of Kelly's tenure in Baton Rouge.

It wasn't the fact that the Tigers lost, it was how it happened. Over the offseason, the team made multiple changes with new personnel stepping up in key positions, including quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, wide receiver Kyren Lacy and defensive coordinator Blake Baker. Well, they still had the same issues as they did in 2022 and 2023 and Kelly threw his squad under the bus with gusto.

"We had some guys play their butts off tonight...and we're sitting here again ! We're sitting here again , talking about the same things! About not finishing when you have an opponent in a position to put them away. But what we're doing on the sideline is feeling like the game's over. And I'm so angry about it, that I've got to do something about it. I'm not doing a good enough job as a coach."

You can watch the video of his tirade below.

This was a major problem for the Tigers in his first two seasons, mainly the players lacking what Kelly called a "killer instinct." They had the chance to finish off the Trojans at the end of the game, but they melted down. They had a third down in the red zone with under two minutes left and they couldn't convert to get a first down to drain the clock or go ahead with a touchdown.

After the Tigers kicked a field goal with 1:47 left, USC QB Miller Moss led the Trojans down for a game-winning touchdown from Mississippi State transfer running back Woody Marks with eight seconds left.

The one parting shot that Kelly had to summarize the loss was about Moss.

"He outplayed our quarterback."

Kelly spent so much time blaming everyone but where was the ownership from Kelly? At the end of the day, it's his team and ultimately his responsibility for not getting the win. Based on how the press conference went, he isn't taking much ownership.

It's not been a great start for the Tigers, and Kelly's meltdown isn't going to help them get back on track in a brutal SEC.