Brian Kelly's thoughts on the current state and future of LSU's defense

Let's just say the LSU defense didn't exactly have a masterclass on Saturday. They let up 42 points to Alabama's offense and allowed Jalen Milroe to run the ball at will against their front seven.

On Monday, Brian Kelly talked to the media about the game, and a lot of questions about the defense were thrown at him. He was asked about how they played on Saturday as well as what the future of this defense looks like.

When asked about the state of this LSU defense, he didn't mince words and told us he knows this defense isn't nearly at the same level as LSU's offense, but he thinks they're making progress.

"Our offense is ahead of our defense. I want our defense to catch up. Our offense is one of the best in the country, but we're not at the same level, we have to continue to build. We have to continue to recruit, we have to continue to coach at the highest level and that's just not the case yet. We're going to continue to get there and we're going to continue to make progress. I was asked the question, 'where do you think your defense is?' We're making progress defensively. It might not be at the level we all want it to, but we have to, in the offseason, look at where are we in all phases? We'll do a deeper dive at the end of the season into all the other things."

Brian Kelly

There was one main issue with LSU's defense on Saturday that I think almost anyone that was watching could've identified, and that's the fact that LSU never deployed a quarterback spy.

Heading into the matchup, Brian Kelly talked about Jalen Milroe's growth as a passer. He wasn't tucking the ball and running as often as many thought, and he's been very dialed in on the deep ball, so I can't blame them for not putting a spy on Milroe early on. However, how the defensive staff didn't see Milroe tearing them apart with his legs and think they should adjust and put a spy on him, I don't really understand.

Kelly was asked about what the staff could've done differently on the defensive side of the ball, and what he said was exactly what everyone at home was thinking.

"Could we have spied the quarterback? Absolutely. There were third down situations that we felt like we wanted to be in more coverage and we felt like our unit pass rush could keep him [Jalen Milroe] in the pocket, and that did not prove to be the case."

Brian Kelly

Before the game, the story of the week was 'how would LSU's young corners matchup with Alabama's wide receivers?' Surprisingly, they held up pretty well all things considered.

Javien Toviano and Ashton Stamps combined to allow just one catch for 10 yards on the night while it was Sage Ryan who struggled immensely in coverage.

Brian Kelly was asked about how he thought the young corners played on Saturday, and he had some high praise for the freshman duo.

"I thought Javien Toviano played solid. Ball got outside the defense one time where his eyes weren't exactly there, but he was physical and on-body. For his first start on the road, I would say we were pleased with his performance. Ashton Stamps got a chance to play as well and he did exactly what we asked him to do when he was out there in nickel. Two freshman playing for the first time on the road versus Alabama, pretty good baptism for those two young guys."

Brian Kelly

This is the quote I'm sure you all have been waiting for. It's been the elephant in the room since the Ole Miss game, but I don't think anybody wanted to ask the question, but on Monday, Brian Kelly was asked about potential changes to his defensive coaching staff, and he had this to say in response:

"We're going to save those questions, and I respect the question, but our focus is on Florida right now and stopping their inside zone game. I respect the question, and certainly there is going to be a time for those questions, but my mind is wrapped around getting another win, playing at a high level and beating Florida."

Brian Kelly

Overall, the defense didn't look good on Saturday and the future of this LSU defense is still a huge question mark. There will be lots of questions and probably very few answers on any changes that are going to occur this offseason, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens until after the season is over.

If the Tigers decide to go in another direction, I don't think the new defensive coordinator will come from within the building. There are a lot of brilliant defensive minds out there that would love a chance to coach at LSU, but instead of speculating, let's leave the questions about a new coordinator for the offseason and see if there's anyway this LSU defense can turn a corner.