The LSU Tigers’ College Football Playoff hopes were on life support as they traveled down to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium this afternoon to take on the rival Florida Gators. Following a 27-16 loss to fall to 6-4, the LSU Tigers will assuredly miss the CFP for the third straight year of the Brian Kelly era. LSU enters each season with championship aspirations, and Kelly has been unable to live up to those lofty standards thus far in Baton Rouge.
Today’s loss marked LSU’s third straight loss. Their losing streak began on the road against Texas A&M, continued at home against Alabama, and the team was unable to get a win tonight in Gainesville. LSU has been outscored 108-52 over their last three games. With the SEC Championship and CFP out of reach, where will the LSU Tigers go from here?
LSU Tigers Hampered By Second Half Performance
LSU was tied 10-10 with Florida at the half, but the second half was the story of this game. LSU was outscored 17-6 in the second half as they suffered another crushing defeat in a season with all the makings of something special. The Tigers had three turnovers in the second half, two fumbles, and a turnover on downs, that sunk their chances of escaping “The Swamp” with a victory. LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier could not jumpstart a sluggish offense. He finished 27-of-47 with 260 yards and a touchdown.
A fumble by the LSU Tigers gave Florida the ball on their side of the field and the Gators capitalized to take a 20-13 lead. The Tigers responded with a field goal to cut the lead to 4, but the LSU defense allowed one final big play to put the Tigers in too deep a hole. A 55-yard rushing touchdown by UF Running Back Jadan Baugh was the final nail in LSU’s coffin.
Head Coach Brian Kelly had a dumbfounded look throughout the second half as he saw a promising season vanish into the Florida night. Kelly, fairly or not, lost all benefit of the doubt after calling out his team following their loss to begin the season against USC.
Where LSU Goes From Here
To quote a song from “The Rolling Stones,” LSU is between a “Rock and a Hard Place.” The Tigers have two games to finish out of the regular season and a lower-tier bowl game awaits them in postseason play. The LSU Tigers host Vanderbilt next Saturday and the Oklahoma Sooners on November 30 to finish the regular season.
The bigger question surrounding the LSU Tigers heading into the offseason is whether they have the correct head coach leading the program. Kelly bolted to LSU from Notre Dame in 2021 because he felt like he accomplished as much as possible with the Fighting Irish program. Kelly believed the stringent academic requirements of Notre Dame handcuffed his ability to build a National Championship-level team consistently. Kelly signed a lucrative 10-year $95 million contract to coach the LSU Tigers.
Kelly’s seat is getting hotter by the game and LSU fans, as is the case with many other SEC fanbases, are not known for their patience. Kelly was poached from Notre Dame to win a national championship not lose to a 5-5 Florida Gators team. He is still viewed as a top-flight coach depending on who you talk to, but 2024 has not been a good year for the LSU Tigers or Brian Kelly.
LSU checked in at #13 in the Preseason AP Top 25 and will probably not appear in the rankings for the remainder of the season. Another rough loss to a bitter rival has left the LSU program searching for answers in what has been another disappointing season.
