It was impossible not to notice, immediately after USC defeated LSU on Sunday night, how emotional Miller Moss was in his postgame interview with ESPN/ABC’s Holly Rowe. USC’s players and coaches were feeling one kind of emotion after silencing their doubters and anyone else who was trying to dish out dirt on the Trojan program. Meanwhile, LSU’s coaches and players were dealing with a whole different set of emotions, especially head coach Brian Kelly, who was absolutely livid with himself and his team after letting this game slip away. Kelly pounded the table and screamed in frustration in his postgame press conference after his team — seemingly in control with a 17-13 lead and the ball in great field position midway through the fourth quarter — failed to close the game on the Trojans.

LSU Wire had the following to say about the game:

“This time it was USC’s turn to beat LSU in the season opener. Lincoln Riley’s offense marched down the field in the final minute to break a 20-20 tie with a touchdown from Woody Marks. LSU got the ball back with eight seconds left, but an interception from Garrett Nussmeier sealed a 27-20 victory for USC.

“LSU had several chances to take control of this game in the second half, but USC hung in there and finally made the plays in the fourth quarter. The Tigers lacked the trademark explosive plays that have made the 2023 offense the best unit in the country, and Jayden Daniels’ legs were sorely missed.”

There’s plenty more USC analysis to come today and this week, but let’s take a moment to look at this loss from LSU’s perspective, while also sharing the shocking video of Kelly getting frustrated after yet another loss in the Tigers’ season opener:

BRIAN KELLY REFUSES PRESS RELEASE AFTER THE RACE

HOW LSU GOT LOST

LSU Wire added the following about the Tigers’ loss:

“Ashton Stamps and PJ Woodland had some standouts at cornerback, but USC continued to take advantage of one-on-one matchups on the outside. The nail in the coffin came when Miller Moss found Kyron Hudson on the final drive. LSU corner Sage Ryan failed to redirect Hudson and Moss found a window. Earlier in the half, Moss found Ja’Kobi Lane one-on-one with Stamps for a score.”

LSU’s secondary wasn’t necessarily destroyed by USC’s receivers, but it certainly didn’t look like the best unit going into battle with the Trojans’ talented wideouts, who continued to attack the Tigers in waves and made all the big plays on USC’s final two drives of the game, both of which ended in touchdowns for the Men of Troy.

USC LIMITED LSU’S EXPLOSIVE HOME-RUN PLAY

More from LSU Wire:

“Without (Jayden) Daniels, there were questions about how LSU would generate explosive plays on the ground. The Tigers struggled to do that Sunday night. There were flashes, but the rushing attack was inconsistent. Josh Williams and Kaleb Jackson, the two backs expected to lead LSU’s RB room, averaged 3.4 yards per carry. Nussmeier was a nonfactor on the ground. John Emery Jr. livened things up in the second half, finishing with 10 carries for 61 yards, but that was about the only positive in this department.”

Give credit to USC’s defensive line and D’Anton Lynn’s overall defensive scheme for getting it right and executing it right. USC’s run defense was strong for 45-50 of the game’s 60 minutes against a vaunted and hyped LSU offensive line. USC’s D-line didn’t dominate the game, but it certainly wasn’t overpowered. It fought to a near-tie, which was always the goal against a quality line. Other lines USC faces this year won’t be as good.

WHY IS BRIAN KELLY ANGRY?

Want to know why Brian Kelly is so angry right now? LSU Wire noted that “LSU fans are probably tired of starting 0-1. The last time LSU won a season opener, Joe Burrow was throwing passes. Again, LSU’s season isn’t over with the expansion playoffs, but LSU will have to do better against a tough SEC schedule if it has any hope of making the playoffs.”

LSU hasn’t won a season opener since 2019. Tiger fans and Kelly are extremely frustrated with their failures in key games in Week 1. That frustration boiled over Sunday night in Vegas.

LINCOLN RILEY BEATS THE SEC

LSU lost to Lincoln Riley, a man who was a national piñata in the offseason and was taking blow after blow for the failed 2023 season at USC. The criticism was certainly valid on some levels, but the national media harped on that “Riley doesn’t care about defense” despite the clear evidence that he made major changes to his defensive staff and other obvious changes in terms of strength and weight training due to the departure of Alex Grinch. LSU fans might have expected Riley’s USC team to wither in the face of LSU’s strength. It looked like that might happen midway through the fourth quarter, but the Trojans rallied and stopped LSU when it really mattered in the red zone with under two minutes left, setting up their game-winning scoring drive in the final seconds.

LINCOLN RILEY BEATS LSU

LSU fans know better than anyone that Lincoln Riley was linked to the LSU job in late 2021, but Riley used that as a smokescreen and went to USC. Every LSU fan who was excited about the possibility of Riley going to Baton Rouge instead of Brian Kelly now has to live with a loss to Riley. It must be heartbreaking for a lot of people in the state of Louisiana, and Brian Kelly knows that himself.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

The 12-team format of the College Football Playoff means that LSU could still get in if it finishes 9-3, but let’s be honest: 9-3 isn’t likely. It’s possible, but finishing 10-2 was really the goal for LSU and USC. The Trojans now have a big lead over the Tigers, and if they both finish with the same record and are in doubt about making the playoffs, the Trojans would win outright.

LSU lost a lot of playoff clout. Brian Kelly knows that.

That’s why he hit the rankings hard after losing to USC.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: LSU coach Brian Kelly slams table after loss to USC