"A team that beat the pants off of Kentucky": Brian Kelly brags about South Carolina win despite LSU's rocky start to 2024 season

LSU Tigers coach Brian Kelly is over the moon after the team's latest win against the South Carolina Gamecocks, which went down to the wire. LSU, ranked No. 16 in the nation, was the favorite coming into this game, but the Gamecocks gave it a run for its money. A two-yard rushing touchdown from Josh Williams, followed by a successful kick from Damian Ramos, helped LSU win 36-33 in the final minute.

But how does Kelly want the media to sell the win? He said:

“We beat South Carolina on the road in a sold-out stadium in the SEC against a team that beat the pants off of Kentucky who played Georgia right to the end. So, if we want to do that game, I guess we’re going to beat Georgia by a lot if that’s how you guys want to play this thing.

“The reality is, it’s hard to win on the road. Given the fact that we made a lot of mistakes, we still found a way to win that football game.”

The game Kelly was referencing was South Carolina's blowout 31-6 win over Kentucky in Week 2. He added weight to the situation, saying the Wildcats almost upset the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs last week. The Bulldogs won the nail-biter against the Wildcats 13-12 at Kroger Field.

Brian Kelly looks forward to 'getting better'

It doesn't matter how Brian Kelly wants to sell the win; the game shouldn't have gone this close given they are No. 16 in the nation. After the game, Kelly said that his focus is to improve in three areas: schemes, personnel and preparation.

"We're a lot closer to finding those things out and we continue to look for (ways at) getting better in those areas," Kelly said.

"This is a lot about us and how we clean up the things we need to clean up to be a better football team playing now against a Big 10 opponent," Kelly added. "As we've seen, everyone's gonna play their best against LSU."

LSU's next game is against the UCLA Bruins on Saturday. It will be a rematch of the 2021 season opener, which the Tigers lost 38-27.