Brian Kelly Issues Warning to LSU Players After Florida Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andrew McCarty | Last updated Nov 16, 2024 9:49 PM ET

At one point ranked No. 8 in the country, the LSU Tigers have plummeted in the rankings over the past few weeks - a slide that will continue following Saturday night's ugly loss to a struggling Florida Gators program.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier completed 27-of-47 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown, while being sacked seven times during the team's third straight loss after starting the season 6-1. Following the latest defeat, head coach Brian Kelly issued a challenge to his team.

"Do you want to fight and take responsibility as coaches and players that we're not playing well and we're struggling right now?" Kelly said, via Bleacher Report. "It's life, it's a myriad of things but it's a reflection of what life is about; There's a rough spot here that we have to fight through."

But that wasn't all. If the players aren't willing to fight, Kelly warned they might not be allowed to play.

"If you're not a thumb pointer, if you're not somebody saying I'm going to work and continue to work and be better, then we don't have a place for you in the last couple of weeks," Kelly added. "If you want to fight and you want to keep working to get better, then we're going to be alongside of you."

Kelly's streak of 10-win seasons dating back to Notre Dame's random 4-8 campaign during the 2016 season will come to an end as the Tigers only have two regular season games, plus a bowl game left on the schedule. Despite not having much to play for, the head coach wasn't his team to fight.

"At the end of the day it's about overcoming adversity and fighting through these last two games that are at home, that we desperately want to win," Kelly said.

LSU ends the season with back-to-back home games against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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