“Dude is a fraud”: LSU HC Brian Kelly faces fans' wrath over justification for Kyren Lacy’s personal foul

College football fans have taken aim at LSU coach Brian Kelly after Week 1. Kelly and the then-No. 13 Tigers lost to the then-No. 23-ranked USC Trojans in Las Vegas 27-20 to kick off their 2024 season.

In their Week 1 loss, Tigers wide receiver Kyren Lacy got an unsportsmanlike penalty after scoring the team's first touchdown. Lacy appeared to shoot a gun at the USC defense.

Following the loss, LSU coach Brian Kelly opened up on Lacy's penalty and claimed he was pretending to shoot his friend and not the Trojans defense.

“It was a matter of frustration,” Kelly said on 'The Paul Finebaum Show,' via Athlon Sports. “I’m frustrated and angry that we’re not getting the kinds of things happening for our guys.

“Our guys are working so hard. I’ll give you an example, Kyren Lacy. He gets a personal foul penalty. He pointed his finger at a friend of his, and Kyren’s been working on emotional control. He talks about it all the time. So, it’s not something that he doesn’t work on and yet it goes against him."

Following Kelly's explanation, college football fans have put the LSU coach on full blast.

"Dude is a fraud," a fan wrote.

"Kelly fighting for his life....will not be there after this year...," a fan added.

Although this is Brian Kelly's third year at LSU, fans are already calling for him to be fired.

"I'm sure LSU fans don't want to hear it. All they want is for him to fix his errors and bring home a W," a fan added.

"Saw this earlier - another lie from Kelly. His team continues to lose these games and make these mistakes because they are poorly disciplined and it starts with him," a fan wrote.

Fans were not happy with Kelly for excusing Lacy's actions, as people believe pretending to shoot a gun shouldn't happen anywhere.

"The man who takes 0 accountability for his actions defends one of his players, instead of using it as a teaching opportunity of what not to do," a fan wrote.

"His fingers just happen to look like shotguns, what’s the big deal here?" a fan wrote.

In LSU's loss, Lacy finished the game with seven receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown.

LSU's Brian Kelly frustrated after Week 1 loss

Brian Kelly has now lost the first game of the season in all three of his seasons at LSU.

Although USC is ranked and a solid team, Kelly was still frustrated with the loss and how the game played out.

"I'm so angry about it that I've got to do something about it. I'm not doing a good enough job as a coach," Kelly said, via ESPN. "I've got to coach them better because it's unacceptable for us not to have found a way to win this football game. It's ridiculous. It's crazy."

LSU will host Nicholls in Week 2 on Saturday, Sept. 7. The Tigers have notable games against Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama and Oklahoma in 2024.