Brian Kelly Said LSU Was Ready To 'Beat The Pants Off Of' USC Before Losing Yet Another Season Opener

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LSU head coach Brian Kelly tempted the football gods just a few days before the Tigers' season opener against the USC Trojans, and they were not too kind to the veteran signal-caller and his team in Las Vegas.

During his weekly ‘Brian Kelly Show’ on Thursday, three days before LSU's opener against the Trojans, Kelly was asked a general question about how the offseason had gone for the Tigers. While he was complimentary of his team's effort during the lead-up to the game, he brought USC into the equation with his answer.

"We had a great foundation, – really three weeks of great work that puts us in a great position now to go beat the pants off of USC," Kelly said.

While Kelly's comment doesn't exactly fall into the category of him guaranteeing a win, it still opened him up to some unwanted criticism if LSU were to go on and lose to the Trojans.

Well, that's exactly what happened. In what surprisingly turned into a defensive affair, USC managed to pull off the perfect two-minute drill in the fourth quarter before ultimately taking a 27-20 lead with just eight seconds left in the contest to seal the upset.

READ: Brian Kelly Was Furious With LSU's Lack Of 'Killer Instinct' Following Loss To USC, And The Table Paid For It

There is a bit of deja vu when looking back on Kelly's comment about beating the pants off of USC.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers looks down the field in the second quarter of the Vegas Kickoff Classic against the USC Trojans at Allegiant Stadium on September 01, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Trojans defeated the Tigers 27-20. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)

Prior to LSU's 21-point loss to Florida State in last year's season opener, Kelly definitely said "we're going to beat the heck out of Florida State."

You would have thought he would have learned from last season's mistake, but no, he brought up the opposing team yet again and lost another season opener.

Kelly is now 0-3 in season openers since taking over in Baton Rouge. The Tigers lost to Florida State by a single point in the 2022 opener.

Maybe Kelly will go radio silent ahead of LSU's opener at Clemson in 2025 - if he's still the head coach of the Tigers next season - but we doubt it.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.