After a tough loss to Ole Miss, Brian Kelly’s LSU bounced back in style on Saturday. Now with Garrett Nussmeier leading the charge at QB, the Tigers improved to 5-1 with a win over South Carolina. But the victory did more than just keep LSU in the hunt for a title. As it also marked Kelly’s 200th career win as an FBS coach. And who stepped up as the backbone of LSU’s win? The defense. They dominated and made the win look easy. But after securing the triumph, apart from celebrating, Kelly wanted to send a message so that his team is taken seriously.

South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers’ potential is no secret. Despite a disappointing start, he’s projected as a first-round NFL pick. But against LSU, he had no answer. 5 sacks. And he managed to make only 124 passing yards due to Tigers’ defensive domination. They had a 79.1% defensive stop rate.

In the postgame press conference, Kelly made it clear just how dominant LSU’s defense was. “He felt this today. He felt our football team,” said Kelly, referring to Sellers. But Kelly didn’t stop there, and he added, “We got after him. And he did some really good things as well. But at the end of the day, we held them to 10 points, and that’s what we were looking for.” Although LSU’s defense set the tone, the offensive struggle wasn’t out of the picture.

LSU’s offense couldn’t quite find its rhythm. Two interceptions, and a fumble. Luckily, they only yielded a field goal. Nussmeier did throw 20 of 33 for 254 yards. So while sparks of brilliance were there, inconsistency lingered. And now they have to fix those issues before facing Vanderbilt to keep their winning streak alive. But after the 20-10 win against the Gamecocks, Kelly had plenty to praise about about his team.

Brian Kelly’s mission for the upcoming games

According to Kelly, Nussmeier’s aggressive play stood out. “I thought he was a lot more aggressive. He had that kind of demeanor that you’re looking for in your quarterback,” stated Kelly. Although mistakes happened, the LSU HC praised his QB’s competitiveness. “He’s competing his tail off for us. We’re a work in progress. We’ll have to be better next week, but we know where our issues are. They’re not hidden.” Then Kelly also highlighted the team’s resilience.

Despite an early 75-yard run and a fumble, LSU didn’t slow down. “All I’m going to comment on is I love the way you competed. You kept playing regardless of what happened,” mentioned Kelly. While mistakes were catastrophic, the Tigers overcame them. “That’s a great thing. I’m going to build off of that, and we’re going to clean up the other things.” But looking ahead, Kelly set the tone for the season.

Ball security and efficiency in the red zone remain keys. “If we fix those things, this offense can play to the level of its defense. And that’s what we need to get to. If we can get both groups playing to that same level consistently… we had some really good moments there offensively, but not consistent enough,” remarked the Tigers HC. And when asked about expectations, Kelly was blunt, saying, “Winning.” This small but powerful word reflects Kelly’s mission for the remainder of this season.