Paul Finebaum makes surprising statement about LSU Tigers after ugly loss against Ole Miss

The LSU Tigers have seen their fanbase go into shambles in the aftermath of a stunning 24-19 defeat against Ole Miss. Losing to an SEC rival is one thing, but the Tigers' offense featured a clearly laboring quarterback in Garrett Nussmeier and a lack of stability and identity. Oh, and they lost to a backup quarterback.

Dropping just out of the College Football Playoff race with its first loss, LSU must recover in fast fashion. While the program works on finding an answer for its slinking offense, including evaluating coordinator Joe Sloan, ESPN host Paul Finebaum doesn't think all is lost. The hot-take artist usually skews negative, but he's not ready to call it over for Brian Kelly.

His usual doom-and-gloom act can infuriate fans, but he went quite far in his evaluation of where the Tigers can get this season.

Paul Finebaum defends LSU Tigers after Ole Miss loss

The SEC veteran joined The Matt Barrie Show to talk about college football, and LSU was a main topic. When asked about Kelly's offense, Finebaum detailed his thoughts on what has to happen moving forward.

"The Durham injury hurts, but overall, it's really tough to watch and we saw it coming. The Clemson losses [talking about injuries] and Florida losses showed that the first game of the season was fraudulent...It never really felt close to me."

Finebaum started negatively about how the Tigers' offense started and has sputtered, but he didn't stay that way after more skepticism. Don't worry, he does land the plane on a more positive note.

"Brian Kelly loaded up the defense because he knew he had to have it. I suppose knowing Durham and a couple of other guys were there, they felt comfortable. I think they also felt comfortable with what we were told was going to be a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. I think they're in a really tough spot...They have to go to Alabama, they have Oklahoma...Texas A&M."

"I think clearly, the Alabama game is going to perhaps be their Waterloo game...The good news for them is that you know it's only one loss. That's why the Clemson game was so critical. I always look at that game as problematic for them, so I'm hesitant to write them off because of what the schedule says. But I would also be bullheaded if I said they don't have problems.

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