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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
There's no other way around it...
There's no other way to put it.....
Brian Kelly's 2024 LSU Tigers have dug themselves into a deep hole, a quagmire of their own making, losing three games in a row by double digits, saying goodbye to any slim, unrealistic but mathematically possible hopes of an SEC Championship Game appearance or a College Football Playoff birth, ambitions that faded faster than a mirage of Bono wearing a MAGA hat....
....in their last 10 quarters of football, LSU were outscored 100-35, gave away 6 turnovers, QB Garrett Nussmeier was sacked 9 times (out of 13 times overall), Nuss was under pressure 41 times (12+ in all 3 losses), the Tigers' offense threw away countless drives (15-20), threw 4 INTs, lost 4 fumbles, booted 4 punts & 5 field goal attempts, 3 turnovers on downs, and 3 touchdowns scored.....it's absolutely ugly reading.
Blake Baker's defense, although showing more signs of life than Matt House's 2023 unit, continues to get gashed time and time again, allowing 666 rushing yards, 5.8 per carry, and 13 rushing TDs.
What will it take to turn it around???
For starters, LSU will need a revamped, rejuiced roster...some major playmaking pieces are missing on this team everywhere you look....and where they can be found, only we see them...as their coordinators leave them on the periphery of game plans.
I'm not sure this is the right offense to run for QB Garrett Nussmeier, it doesn't get the best out of him or the entire unit, and he's beginning to spiral from a very strong start into making errors many feared from him back in 2022, while Brad Davis' well recruited offensive line repeatedly display their lack of development or cohesion, especially when your bookend tackles have to exert any energy or attention away from their man on the edge because they can't trust their interior red shirt freshmen teammates.
The fact LSU went into a full season, no, a full calendar year, with just one official center, red shirt freshman DJ Chester wasn't a good move. Sure, the staff wanted to showcase their confidence in him, but expecting Chester to seamlessly replace Charles Turner without a veteran portal option to at least challenge him, is pure hubris.
Head Coach Brian Kelly isn't going anywhere, but he's wasting time.
Kelly wasted a championship offense in 2023 because he felt the need to exile DBs Coach Corey Raymond, special teams coordinator Greg McMahon, and do away with LBs Coach Blake Baker...only to rehire Raymond and promote Baker to defensive coordinator this past January.....even just a few more possessions for JD5 and we could be talking about Brian Kelly wearing his first National Championship ring....
Now, he's wasting one of two potential years left for starting QB Garrett Nussmeier, a top class slinger who's been buried behind an out of shape, out of focus offensive line, a coordinator who just might be out of his depth calling plays, and because of these ingredients, we're witnessing the worst version of Nuss...and it's more than a little unfair for the longtime Tiger loyalist.
I feel almost bad picking at Baker's defense, as they've done a brilliant job overcoming the early season injuries to starters Harold Perkins and Jacobian Guillory, however the lack of depth, aggressive playmakers, self-policing locker room leaders & proven talent at defensive line and secondary continues to haunt the Tigers for yet another season.
How will LSU fix this???
We'll tell you next on LSUOdyssey.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
COPYRIGHT 2024 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
The cracks that are forming in Coach Kelly’s demeanor with his team are disconcerting. This can cause defections where you don’t want them, and some recruiting fallout. How frustrating that Kelly himself and his lack of professionalism have become such a concern.?