By TODD HORNE, Executive Editor
The echoes of “Touchdown LSU!” had barely faded when Brian Kelly’s frustration began to boil over.
Sure, the Tigers eked out a 23–7 win over Louisiana Tech in front of an announced crowd 101,667 at Tiger Stadium—but let’s be honest: this was an offense sleepwalking its way through a home opener (with far less than 101,667 seated and watching).
And if Kelly’s postgame admission—“We got outcoached in a lot of areas”—didn’t put offensive coordinator Joe Sloan squarely in his cross hairs, nothing will.
On paper, LSU’s attack looked loaded: senior QB Garrett Nussmeier, touted for his NFL arm, a stable of playmakers led by Barion Brown, and a backfield that flashed potential. Instead, Tech’s 3-3-5 stack defense turned LSU’s gameplan into a Rubik’s Cube. Nussmeier finished 26-of-41 for 237 yards, one touchdown and a horribly underthrown early pick; the Tigers’ ground game limped to 128 yards on 34 carries, buoyed only by Harlem Berry’s 43-yard scamper and Zavion Thomas’s long burst. Outside of a few splash plays, it was a bogged-down, a few plays-and-out slog.
Kelly didn’t sugarcoat it.
“If I didn’t think we had the players, I’d be in here giving you the Brian Kelly spin.”
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) September 7, 2025
– Brian Kelly with an exquisite quote. So does that mean most everything up to now has been BK spin? COLUMN:https://t.co/nwHB2jrqRx
“Did we prepare them well enough? Did we give them the movement necessary?” he demanded, voice rising. “My sense is we didn’t.”
A coach who built his reputation on attention to detail was openly questioning his own staff’s game-planning. Sloan’s play-concepts—once heralded for their creativity—looked predictable, and Kelly’s warning was unmistakable: this offense must snap out of it, or heads will roll.
Put it to you this way, Kelly wasn’t referring to the defense, which completely shut down Tech for three quarters and about 8 minutes before its lone glaring mistake surrendered a late touchdown.
Meanwhile, LSU’s makeshift O-line shuffled nine bodies after junior center Braelin Moore limped off on the first play. The patchwork front couldn’t sustain push, yielding three sacks and turning goal-line chances into field-goal attempts. Instead of leaning into All SEC playmakers like Anderson and Brown, the Tigers settled for a 19-yard chip shot. That lack of firepower against a Conference USA foe is exactly what keeps coaches up at night—and it puts Sloan on thin ice.
We’re going to fuck around and talk about 2025 LSU without an offense how we talk about 2023 LSU without a defense
— tik (@twosuh) September 7, 2025
Contrast that with LSU’s defense—a unit that spent three and a half quarters blanking Tech and finished with a flurry of tackles from West Weeks and Davhon Keys. Kelly praised them as “the standard” but made clear no defense can carry a title bid alone. The Tigers rank outside the top 60 nationally in points per game and yards per play; if that doesn’t change, even Blake Baker’s relentless front seven won’t be enough come November.
So here’s the reality: Kelly’s résumé glitters with big-time wins, but a national championship remains elusive. He’s entrusted Sloan with installing an explosive offense befitting LSU’s blue-blood stature—and right now, that trust is being tested. The next two weeks won’t just be about fine-tuning schemes; they’ll be a crucible for this coaching staff. Is Sloan the visionary play-caller Kelly needs, or a scapegoat awaiting the ax?
One thing’s certain: Brian Kelly came to Baton Rouge to win big, and he’s not shy about holding everyone—particularly his offensive coordinator—accountable. With marquee SEC showdowns looming, the Tigers can’t afford another sluggish performance. Because if LSU’s offense doesn’t snap to attention, Joe Sloan will learn exactly what it means to be in Brian Kelly’s cross hairs.
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