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By Matthew Schmidt
Contributing Sports Writer
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The LSU Tigers put together quite an impressive win in their season opener, defeating the Clemson Tigers by a score of 17-10 this past Saturday. And on the road, no less. However, that does not mean LSU head coach Brian Kelly remains safe from criticism.
Seth Emerson of The Athletic ranked the SEC teams following Week 1, and while he placed the Tigers at the top, he couldn't resist firing a shot at Kelly in the process.
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"This may be getting way ahead of ourselves, but watching LSU on Saturday night was reminiscent of watching Georgia's opener in 2021, when it also beat Clemson with an impressive defensive performance," Emerson wrote. "That's not saying LSU will have that same level of defense. (Nobody will, even Georgia.) It's that you could tell by the end of the 2021 game that Georgia was on the verge of a special season. We'll see about Brian Kelly's team, because, well, Brian Kelly. But that was impressive."
Ouch.
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Kelly has an extensive collegiate coaching career, beginning at Central Michigan in 2004. He also coached Cincinnati and Notre Dame before finally arriving at LSU in 2022, but while he has compiled a very respectable 196-73 record throughout his NCAA tenure, his name has been synonymous with coming up small in the biggest moments.
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It may seem unfair, given that Kelly has won three straight bowl games in Baton Rouge and has only posted a losing record twice throughout his career, but he isn't quite viewed on the same level as say, Dabo Swinney, for example, for a reason.
Perhaps that changes this year. Kelly certainly had LSU ready to play against Clemson, and there is no reason to believe the Tigers won't get to 2-0 against Louisiana Tech next weekend. But with five ranked opponents currently remaining on LSU's schedule, the trepidation surrounding the Kelly-coached team is valid.
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