It’s tough times down in Baton Rouge, and believe me, no one is feeling the heat more than LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly. The Tigers, sitting at forgettable 9th place in the SEC with a 6-4 record, have seen their season hit a dead-end, thanks in part to quarterback Garrett Nussmeier‘s 3-game losing streak. LSU faithful are not having this at all. And Playoff hopes? Shattered in Week 11 against Alabama 42-13. And in a year where even a 12-team format couldn’t offer them a lifeline, the pressure on Kelly’s play-calling is boiling over, leaving everyone questioning if he’s got any tricks left in his playbook? or if there is any playbook at all.

Recently, on ‘After Review‘, Baton Rouge’s go-to sports show, hosted by LSU insider Matt Moscona, the talk was all about Nussmeier’s rollercoaster performances. Moscona held nothing back, saying, “The worst thing you can do to a guy like Garrett Nussmeier is make him stop and think. He is best when he hits his back foot and is ripping the football.” Sounding genuinely concerned about their QB. Nussmeier’s season has been a mash-up of highlight-reel plays and head-scratching mistakes: 22 touchdowns alongside 11 picks, including 5 in the past three games alone. Moscona laid it out without filtering, “There’s a big difference between being instinctive and being careless.” 

He even threw in some unforgettable play-by-play examples to back his words. “The throw against Ole Miss to Aaron Anderson was insane, instinctive. That’s a fourth-and-four or the game is over—that’s instinctive,” Moscona said. And then there’s the ugly: “Careless is the first interception against Texas A&M. It’s third-and-two… that’s careless.”

The real struggle is striking that balance—how do you let Nussmeier’s gunslinger attitude shine without risking a meltdown? Moscona put it together perfectly: “I don’t want Garrett Nussmeier to purge the instinct out of his game. I want him to purge careless out of his game.” Yeah, easier said than done, right? Ultimately, it comes down to the directions he is receiving from the sidelines. The continuation of the ‘careless’ is a reflection of the coach’s inability to make the game easy for him.

Brian Kelly under pressure and in trouble

Brian Kelly’s seat is getting warmer by the minute, and it’s not from the Louisiana sun. LSU’s playoff dreams officially crashed and burned with their loss to Billy Napier’s toothless Gators. Making their third straight SEC defeat, following losses to Texas A&M and high-way humiliation loss to BAMA. Fans at Tiger Stadium fed up with this Brian Kelly show, started roaring ” Fire Brian Kelly” during the dismal loss to a 5-5 Florida team. Talk about a rough night at the office for Kelly, who was supposed to get the Tigers back to their glory days, AKA Burrow era.

The lack of protection for Garett Nussmeier has been flagrant. Against Florida, the offensive line was more like celebrating world blind day. The O-line let the defense through to sack Nussmeier seven times—a season—acute embarrassment. It was more like a sack-fest than a Saturday afternoon football. Kelly’s inability to get a grip on these problems has fans pointing fingers, and not very gently. LSU’s offense has had moments of magic, sure, but it’s been maddeningly unreliable, and all eyes are on Kelly. With Nussmeier’s struggles only adding fuel to the fire, Kelly’s excuses are running on thin ice.

So here we are: a once-promising season that’s now in free fall and a head coach with one foot in a hot seat. If Brian Kelly doesn’t figure out a way to snap LSU out of the mess, he put them through. The “Fire Brian Kelly” chants will get louder. It’s SEC football, where patience is about as common as snow in the mean street of Baton Rouge. Time’s ticking, and right now, Kelly’s not exactly winning any popularity contests. Safe to say, Kelly better has a miracle up his sleeve, or this could get pretty ugly real fast.