A little less than three years ago, Brian Kelly arrived in Baton Rouge for the first time as coach of the LSU Tigers amid a cacophony of fanfare. The onetime aspiring politician was treated as if he were a quasi-conquering hero arriving in the Bayou after a surprising exit from a successful stint with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Taking the stand for the first time, dressed in purple and gold trim, he told his assembled electorate that being a part of the SEC was both the opportunity and challenge of a lifetime.

In the wake of a 42-13 dismantling at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide that sent those same fans rushing out of Tiger Stadium with 15 minutes left on a humid night, that opportunity seems almost as distant as the challenge seems daunting. .

“What we thought would be an exciting evening turned out to be a disappointing evening,” said an even-keeled Kelly, without the kind of fury he showed after a loss to the USC Trojans led to a fisticuff. “We didn’t make the most of the opportunities we had. Certainly, a lot of things didn’t go right tonight.”

Don’t try anything. Nothing It was the right way for the Tigers. They kicked a pair of field goals in the first half and then needed 11 seconds left on the clock to avoid not scoring a touchdown against the Tide for the first time since they were shut out at the same spot in 2018. As far as losses go It’s hard to find anything more lopsided in SEC play than what happened Saturday night.

“I felt like it was probably the most complete game we’ve ever played,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said, not trying to rub it in but underscoring the point the score made clear anyway. “Coming into a tough environment, just playing game after game, just staying the course.”

That they did, and now that definitive team course, once wasted by a still unfathomable loss for the Vanderbilt Commodoresis back on track for another College Football Playoff appearance and a regular shot at Alabama for a national title.

The one that the Massachusetts salesman trying to make his way in the South is currently trying to lead the Tigers? Well, that seems more aimed at a New Year’s trip to Florida that no one wants to go on.

Kelly, almost in real time this season, is quickly learning the impact the expanded College Football Playoff will have on coaches, not just those across the country, but also those in the SEC. Not only are you supposed to hit the field with the amount of resources available, from NIL funds to facilities to an almost unrivaled recruiting base, but you are supposed to earn something at the same time.

But missing the field entirely, as seems certain to be the case with a third loss on his resume? Well, that might be as big a misstep for the 102,283 LSU fans who packed Death Valley as it was for the state’s governor to allow a real Tiger to be trotted out on Saturday because the school’s real mascot didn’t. could be bothered.

“We had a plan to stop the quarterback’s run. We didn’t make it. I take responsibility for it and (defensive coordinator) Blake (Baker) is not going to shirk responsibility. We have to put our players in a position to succeed,” Kelly said. “We’re not going to trade any of them, there’s no exemption, we’re not going to bring in anyone from the demo team. “We have to find the right answers about what works best for the guys we have and it hasn’t worked very well the last two games.”

At this point, the roster is what it is, and entirely the work of the head coach. While there are building blocks that can form the core of a contender (freshman Caden Durham averaged 7.9 yards per carry, sophomore Whit Weeks led the team with 15 tackles) it’s not good enough. The talent isn’t there when compared to LSU teams of the past and, even worse, the quality players that are present seemingly have the ability to make a play they shouldn’t in the exact spot they were in. In fact I shouldn’t.

The problems that Kelly failed to address during his time in Baton Rouge were fully exposed in the legendary “middle eight” (the last four minutes of the first half and the first four of the second) against the Tide. Trailing 14-6, the Tigers gained some momentum by stopping Alabama at midfield on fourth down. Death Valley once again embodied its nickname, as the oppressive humidity was matched by the volume of noise that fell suffocatingly on the field.

Only instead of choking the Tide, it was LSU who wrapped its hands firmly around their throats.

On the first play after taking over, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier unleashed the nadir of a lackluster effort, 27 of 42, 239 yards and a touchdown with the first of his three turnovers. Linebacker Jihaad Campbell ran almost intact on a delayed drive up the middle, forcing the young signal-caller to be thrown to his left. There was no escape, however, as Campbell lofted the ball onto the wet turf and virtually wrapped up a fumble recovery for an eagerly waiting Tim Smith.

Tide star quarterback Jalen Milroe needed just three plays to find the end zone after that, cutting through the middle of LSU’s defense with ease to underline their problems containing mobile quarterbacks. He matched LSU’s team rushing total with 5:30 left in the second quarter and didn’t look back on his way to 185 yards and four touchdowns on the ground to eclipse a crisp 12-of-18 passing night.

Milroe also delivered enough highlights to put him back in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy, taking advantage of Nussmeier throwing an interception in the end zone and turning it into a 28-yard draw at the other end that found the promised land and all but confirmed that the defeat was over. in. Fittingly, given the Tigers’ undisciplined nature this season, a personal foul (which caused fans to start throwing objects onto the field) extended the drive and even gave Milroe the opportunity.

From one score down to 28–6 in the third quarter in what seemed like the blink of an eye. A 72-yard touchdown down the right sideline on the first play of the fourth quarter turned the knife one last time and sent the remaining fans running for the exits.

“I thought our game plan was really good. Obviously, his speed is really good and you can’t explain that in practice or on film,” said linebacker Greg Penn III, one of seven Tigers to make seven or more tackles in the game. “He is a great player. “I thought our game plan was good – they just went out and executed.”

“I think we sent the message to all the teams that Alabama can handle the football,” offensive lineman Tyler Booker said. “This is what we are capable of every week.”

If Alabama is capable of taking a team off the field by 29 points in a big matchup, why isn’t LSU? The Tigers aren’t replacing the greatest coach the game has ever seen nor did they lose several key contributors to the transfer portal. The fact that they’ve shown flashes of being capable, like in the upset of the Ole Miss Rebels a few weeks ago, only makes things worse.

Kelly is a good coach. In a college football universe that has only three active head coaches with a national title, it can honestly be almost great. That’s what will get you longevity and a dozen 10-win seasons.

But he and LSU suddenly reached a crossroads they never anticipated reaching, much less just three years into a decade-long contract. The Tigers’ front office won’t rush to show him the door like the Texas A&M Aggies did with Jimbo Fisher, but those once-troubling doubts that Kelly wasn’t the solution he was supposed to be, well, they’re in crisis. completely trustworthy.

Kelly is 5-9 against ranked opponents over the last four years. That record isn’t terrible, winning an SEC West title and producing a Heisman Trophy winner along the way.

However, his successor in South Bend, Marcus Freeman, is 10-5 against ranked opponents in the same time frame despite recruiting and landing transfers at a much lower rate than Kelly. On the other side of the bench, DeBoer is 15-3 in his stints at Washington and now at Alabama.

Both have shown an Achilles heel that Kelly doesn’t have by losing to something completely unexpected (DeBoer to the Commodores, Freeman inexplicably to the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Marshall Thundering Herd). But both also have their teams firmly aiming for the playoff.

That’s the name of the game in 2024 and the standard all 68 power conference coaches must follow moving forward.

“We’re dealing with a second loss now in the SEC,” Kelly said a few minutes after solemnly walking off the field to shouts of his ejection from the handful of fans who stayed there solely to let him hear such a message. “We are on the hill.”

At the moment, LSU isn’t even on the hill. That’s the problem. Kelly accepted that kind of pressure. He asked for the challenge. As you now realize, life comes at you quickly when you are not prepared for the occasion.

For a coach who always strives to be mentioned more among peers like Kirby Smart and Nick Saban than among the James Franklins of the world, it’s increasingly looking like Kelly was never up to the task with this changed program. Coaches but equally produced who win national titles.

“You’re living on borrowed time when you keep putting yourself in these difficult positions,” Kelly said. “Tonight, the dam broke.”

That doesn’t mean much to the LSU coach. He is already underwater and watches as opportunity takes hold of him.