The LSU football team has quit on its coach.
The Tigers led 18-14 at halftime against Texas A&M, hit a few speed bumps and then just completely shut down shop, quitting on the second half, getting dominated and falling 49-25.
We have thoughts. The LSU fanbase has a lot, too.
Let’s go. Our 5 takes.
5 TAKES AS LSU FALLS TO TEXAS A&M:
TAKE ONE: This team has quit on Brian Kelly – There’s no other way to say it, nor sugar coat it. The team has quit on Brian Kelly. The effort in the second half was abysmal and lacked fire. Whit Weeks laid into the defense in the third quarter and lip readers could see he was very much so questioning the effort and intensity of the unit. It’s needed. But it’s also not unexpected. Look at the sidelines and pay attention to the energy Brian Kelly puts out. It’s almost 100% negative. When you have a paid for roster of non-Louisiana kids, those kids are playing for themselves. In 2025 in modern college football, that’s OK. But it will never work if the vibes aren’t there and Brian Kelly is not a vibes guy. He’s a loser.
TAKE TWO: 18 should have played his last collegiate snap – Garrett Nussmeier should have played his final collegiate snap. He’s hurt. That’s obvious. There is no zip on any of his passes. He’s also a bit of a diva. The schtick of acting hurt and gingerly walking off the field is old. The bickering with Brian Kelly after bad timeouts is old. The bad red zone decisions are old. The clock management is old. Van Buren is a better option with this offensive line. Play him. I am ready to not have 18 out there anymore – at all. Go get your surgery and go let your daddy get you drafted somewhere in the fourth round and start your career as a lifelong backup. Yes, the LSU offensive line is bad. But also yes, the kid can’t move. ANY missed block up front and it’s an automatic sack. That just doesn’t work in 2025.
TAKE THREE: Same issues on defense – LSU can’t stop a running quarterback. The scheme isn’t bad. They have a spy. They get decent penetration. The spy either falls asleep or takes a bad angle and/or loses their integrity. Blake Baker has done a pretty good job this season. But they still have not fixed that. That’s a pretty big problem to have in 2025.
TAKE FOUR: Special teams a wreck – Brian Kelly and bad special teams go hand in hand. It’s been a wreck the entirety of his tenure. I will be fair and say that yes, LSU got a blocked punt, which was nice. But they also were atrocious in the return game, were atrocious in the coverage game and missed an extra point. It’s a constant issue. Of course, Brian Kelly hollered and screamed at the special teams coach. Bro, fix it.
TAKE FIVE: Aggies tried to make it easy – Texas A&M did a lot of stuff to try and make it easy for LSU. They allowed a punt block. They had turnovers. They had pre snap mistakes. They were dominating the lines of scrimmage and were down 18-14 at halftime. Boy, did they clean up their act at halftime, sucking the soul out of Brian Kelly’s Tigers.
TAKE SIX: Give Harlem Berry the damned ball – The LSU football team hasn’t run the ball effectively all season. They did run the football well on Saturday with Harlem Berry getting into a groove. And then they stopped doing it. Nice work, BK. That is just absolute masterclass.
TAKE SEVEN: What next? I think the team has quit. The schedule is not going to get lighter. So what next? It’s a bye week. Will we have a busy Sunday? I doubt it. But will the ball begin rolling down hill? I think tonight has to be the start of those conversations. This gets worse before it gets better. That’s the problem.
TAKE EIGHT: Thank God for the bye – I need a week off. Thank God for the bye week.