Brian Kelly’s meltdown after loss to USC doesn’t bode well for LSU fah-mily

Brian Kelly's fake southern charm is finally starting to wear off. After another season-opening loss, this time to the USC Trojans and head coach Lincoln Riley, Kelly finally lost it.

The Tigers had over 400 yards of total offense but failed to capitalize on some key drives, including their first of the game, which went over 70 yards on 13 plays. LSU also had 10 penalties for 99 yards on the night. Hence, one can understand where Kelly's frustration came from.

However, it's the way Kelly expressed himself that caught Tigers fans and the media off-guard. In his postgame press conference, Kelly slammed the table when discussing exactly what went wrong for LSU in the fourth quarter.

"We had some guys play their butts off tonight and we're sitting here again, we're sitting here again talking about the same things!" Kelly said as he slammed the table. "About not finishing when you have an opponent in a position to put them away. But what we're doing on the sideline is feeling like the game is over."

Kelly went on to suggest LSU doesn't have a "killer instinct" and even admitted that USC quarterback Miller Moss "outplayed our quarterback." It wasn't Kelly's finest moment.

Brian Kelly's postgame press conference is a sign of things to come for LSU

Kelly's team is a talented one, and they should compete each and every week in the SEC. Still, the fact that he was so quick to turn on his own players and completely snap suggests some underlying issues. Kelly is supposed to be a stable force for his team. Instead, he's a hurricane.

"Unfortunately, it's clear that, when we get up in a game, we do not know how to handle ourselves," Kelly said. "You've got to put teams away. We had an opportunity to put this team away. We get complacent, we make more mistakes when we're ahead instead of having a, you know, better focus and a steely eyed killer instinct. That's disappointing."

Kelly did, eventually, blame himself for his team's miscues.

"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. "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."

In the end, penalties, mentality and lack of execution are on the coaching staff, not just the players. Even Kelly realizes that. The Tigers get a chance to right the ship next week against Nicholls State, but don't get it twisted -- we won't forget Kelly's postgame freakout anytime soon.