The No. 23 USC Trojans secured a 27-20 victory against the No. 13 LSU Tigers in Las Vegas on Sunday night. This defeat left coach Brian Kelly visibly frustrated during his postgame conference.
Brian Kelly is very upset after LSU’s defeat to USC.
“We’re sitting here (*slams fist*) AGAIN talking about the same issues!… I’m so upset that I have to take action! I’m not doing enough as a coach… It’s absurd! It’s unbelievable!” pic.twitter.com/PzeTVlfjrT
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 2, 2024
“Several players really gave their all tonight, yet here we are again discussing the same problems!” Kelly expressed, hitting the table and startling the reporters around him. “It’s about failing to finish when we have an opponent ready to be defeated. But what we seem to be doing on the sidelines is treating the game like it’s already won.”
In a thrilling finish, the Trojans found themselves down 17-13 entering the fourth quarter, but managed to pull ahead 20-17 after a quick three-play, 64-yard series with just five minutes left. The Tigers then equalized with a field goal, making it 20-20.
As the clock wound down, USC’s junior quarterback Miller Moss expertly led the team down the field during a vital two-minute drill. A standout moment occurred with just 15 seconds remaining, when wide receiver Kyron Hudson made a remarkable catch that advanced them into the red zone, courtesy of a targeting penalty that added another 15 yards.
Kyron Hudson took a huge hit but still made the catchpic.twitter.com/fapZvcPnPy
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 2, 2024
Notably, earlier in the match, Hudson made what commentators Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit called, “the catch of the year.”
CHECK OUT THIS ONE-HANDED GRAB BY KYRON HUDSON 😳 #SCTOP10 pic.twitter.com/b9gD3tccnk
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 2, 2024
With just eight seconds remaining, senior running back Woody Marks dashed into the end zone from the 13-yard line, clinching the victory for USC and marking LSU’s fifth consecutive season-opening loss, as well as their third under Kelly.
“I’m so upset that I need to take action,” Kelly stated. “I’m failing as a coach… I must do better because not winning this game is unacceptable. It’s insane!”
Although they lost, LSU’s offense showed promise, with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier connecting often with standout wide receiver Kyren Lacy, including a memorable touchdown in the second quarter.
Kyren Lacy’s move brought too many fakes pic.twitter.com/kBWTHQL6sc
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 2, 2024
Kyren Lacy needs to tone it down 😭💀
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) September 2, 2024
Interestingly, Kelly criticized his own quarterback after the game, saying, “He [Moss] played better than our quarterback [Nussmeier].”
Brian Kelly on USC QB Miller Moss:
“He outperformed our quarterback” pic.twitter.com/waFg19k6ea
— College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) September 2, 2024
Overall, Nussmeier completed 29 of 38 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
In contrast, Moss managed to pass for 378 yards with 27 completions out of 36 attempts and registered one touchdown.
Interestingly, even with Kelly’s remarks, Nussmeier’s total quarterback rating (QBR) was 88.1, slightly higher than Moss’s 79.2.
LSU HC Brian Kelly was NOT pleased with his team’s performance tonight. 😳 https://t.co/pZcIe8p91J pic.twitter.com/Q4w7bNfVKg
— theScore (@theScore) September 2, 2024
Following this defeat, Coach Kelly now holds a 3-6 record against ranked teams since he became the LSU head coach in 2022.
