The first cut is the deepest: LSU's fast finish can't overcome slow start
NEW ORLEANS – Suffice to say as he started his 33rd season as a college head coach, Brian Kelly has probably never lost a game in as heartbreaking a fashion as he did Sunday night in the Caesars Superdome.
LSU was an extra point kick away from forcing overtime in its season-opener vs. Florida State after a miraculous school-record 99-yard TD drive ended with a 2-yard scoring strike from Jayden Daniels to Jaray Jenkins with no seconds left in regulation.
But Tigers’ new redshirt freshman placekicker Damian Ramos, who earlier had a field goal attempt blocked, had his game-tying extra point blocked by FSU’s Shyheim Brown, preserving a 24-23 FSU win as LSU players collapsed to the ground in disbelief.
“I was proud of our resolve, we battled,” Kelly said. “But we didn't play with the kind of sense of urgency that I want for four quarters, and that was evident in our play. We didn't tackle very well. We couldn't get off the field on third down. We didn't execute very well offensively.
“We had two turnovers in our punt return game, which we thought would be an asset for us. And then we had a blocked field goal and a blocked extra point. Anytime you have those kinds of situations, you're setting yourself up for a long night.
“And despite all of those things, I stand here in front of you with an opportunity to bring the game into an overtime situation.”
It was hard to fathom the Tigers were even in position to sniff overtime. For 2½ quarters, the Tigers’ offense was reduced to a junior high playbook because the all-new offensive line never gave new starting QB Daniels time to throw.
LSU’s first five drives of the game totaled a combined 31 plays and produced three points. The Tigers’ last three possessions totaled 37 plays, 256 of LSU’s game-total 348 yards and resulted in three TDs in the game's final 15:08.
The way Daniels and the offense rallied down the stretch – he finished with 323 yards total offense (209 yards passing and two TDs completing 26 of 35, 114 yards rushing on 16 attempts) including 161 yards in the fourth quarter – you wondered why adjustments by Tigers’ offensive braintrust weren’t made earlier.
It seemed as if when LSU finally went to a quick tempo offense trailing 17-3 with just more than 4 minutes left in the third quarter, it was the jolt the Tigers needed. On the LSU last drive that started with 1:20 left to play after the Tigers’ defense stopped FSU on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line, Daniels completed 6 of 7 passes for 66 yards with his only incompletion being an intentional spike.
“We got into a better rhythm certainly in the second half, Jayden did,” Kelly said. “When he does sit in the pocket, we saw his ability to find open receivers, show the patience."
Despite allowing three TDs and 392 yards and 11 of 17 third-down conversions, LSU’s defense did its best to keep the game from getting out of hand. It twice kept FSU off the scoreboard after new LSU punt returner Malik Nabers fumbled the only two Seminoles’ punts of the night.
The Tigers’ D held up despite losing stud tackle Maason Smith on FSU’s first offensive possession. Smith injured a knee when he jumped celebrating an LSU defensive stop and landed awkwardly. He'll undergo an MRI Monday.
Through all of that, the Tigers had a chance to get the game to overtime. But one of LSU’s biggest preseason fears – a completely new kicking game from placekicker to punter to kick returners – proved to be a stake in the Tigers’ heart.
“You put a guy back there like Malik Nabers, you watch him, you evaluate him through four weeks of practice, and you feel comfortable with his elite skill set and his mindset that he's going to be able to do a great job, and that wasn't the case,” Kelly said. “That was a mistake that we made. That's on us. We made that evaluation.
“As it relates to the blocked field goal, it came from the same left side. We made an adjustment after the field goal and made a switch in personnel, and that didn't work either (on the blocked extra point). We have to do a better job coaching.”
LSU’s largest gain in the opening half was Daniels’ 25-yard bailout on the Tigers’ first offensive snap of the 2022 season.
The LSU faithful let out a collective roar watching Daniels’ wheels.
Hell, yeah. We’ve got a quarterback who can fly.
Unfortunately, that’s where LSU’s first-half highlights ended. Five plays later on second-and-goal from the FSU 5, new Tigers’ starting center Garrett Dellinger launched a snap that Daniels tracked down for a 14-yard loss and LSU had to settle for a field goal.
And that was all LSU would get until the last seconds of the third quarter. The Tigers’ new starting offensive line played like they had just been introduced to each other before the game. They caved time after time. Daniels never got a chance to get to a second and third read. As much as he wanted to find open receivers, there weren’t any until the final 1½ quarters.
“We didn't expect a lot of the mistakes we saw out there today,” Kelly said. “But as coaches, we have to be critical of ourselves and look at our evaluation and say that we're part of this as well and we've got to do a better job coaching.
“We're all in this together, players and coaches alike. We have to go back tomorrow and go back to work and get better at those things.”