Kelly Proves Who He Is - An Article by Jim Gazzolo

LSU fans believed differently but all the facts said so.

Kelly, in his second year as head coach at LSU, has a solid track record. He had some really good seasons at Notre Dame before telling the world he could not win a national title there.

So when LSU came calling Kelly left his Irish players before a bowl game and when they still had an outside chance of making the playoffs.

That was December of 2021.

Since coming to Louisiana Kelly has tried to talk Cajun and act like a head coach ready to claim a title. And he has had some big moments.

In his first year in Baton Rouge he beat Alabama by rolling the dice and going for two points in overtime. He also won a bowl game by blowing out a Purdue team that had lost its coach a few weeks before.

The 10-4 season and those two big wins, along with a surprise capture of the mighty SEC West division title, had Tiger fans believing Kelly was the right guy to lead LSU back to a national title.

But he has also had his moments of head-scratching moves and games. After getting outcoached in the second half Sunday night against Florida State, when the Tigers lost 45-24, Kelly seems a lot like the guy who coached at Notre Dame.

Good, but not elite.

He is 10-5 in his time at LSU. Again, good but not elite.

When you consider Kelly’s Tigers are just 7-5 against Power 5 competition you see the same trend that was with Kelly at Notre Dame. He won’t embarrass you but he might not be the guy you need.

Elite coaches win big games on a regular basis. Kelly wins some and loses some. It’s why nobody at Notre Dame really cried much when he up and left the most visible college football program for a chance to coach in the SEC.

And, of course, a boatload of cash.

This season Kelly’s crew is expected to make a title run. The Tigers still may. He’s the type of coach that can run into a championship game. 

But great coaches act the part too. 

Kelly told the world “We’re going to kick the heck out of Florida State” then watched the Seminoles kick the heck out of his Tigers.

Kelly wasn’t like that at Notre Dame. Maybe he got caught up in LSU’s hype. Whatever the reason, putting a target on his team backfired.

Notre Dame seemed happy with Kelly, though they would have liked a few more big wins, especially in bowl games. The Irish always looked outmatched and outcoached in those games. 

Kelly blamed it on Notre Dame’s tough academics or facilities in a subtle way. When he came to the Bayou he said he now had everything he needed to win.

But once again, in a big game, Kelly’s team fell short.

I have no doubt he will win his share of games this year, and in the future at LSU. It is what he does. He wins enough to make you believe next year will be different. 

He wins enough to keep hope from fading and to keep his teams on the national stage. That is what good coaches do.

What elite coaches do is go one step further. They leave their fans believing a championship run is their right, not their hope.

It is simple for LSU fans now. This is just one game, all-be-it a very big game. But moving forward do you really trust Kelly to win the big game?

Is he the coach you think can make the right adjustments when the going gets tough?

If so, then Kelly is your guy. 

But there is a track record that is pretty long that seems to indicate, Kelly is good, not great.

In other words, he is what he’s always been.

In Baton Rouge, they likely expect more.

After the blowout loss to FSU Kelly said it was a total failure, saying “We’re not the team I thought we were.”

Unfortunately for LSU fans, Kelly appears to be exactly who we thought he was.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State and is the host of Poke Nation on CBS-Lake Charles