Paul Finebaum labels Brian Kelly as a hero after leading LSU to win over Alabama

Paul Finebaum is ready to call Brian Kelly a hero for his victory over Alabama.

After the biggest victory of his young tenure at LSU, Finebaum spoke about how Kelly has already won over the fanbase with one overtime call.

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“He made a mistake against Florida State because I think he was, he had not quite made the transformation to LSU, but he understands those people. One thing about Louisiana, I’ve lived in Louisiana, I’ve covered LSU, I’ve been down there a million times. They’ll forgive you for throwing a punch and missing. That’s the nature of that part of the world. They would’ve loved him anyway. You’re up against Nick Saban, take a shot. You know him out, great. If you end up on your backside, well you gave it your all. We’ll help you up and buy you a beer. He’s a hero,” stated Finebaum. “I don’t want to say, well I will say, that will take them a long way through stormy weather in Baton Rouge, because he did something that will forever be remembered, and he did it against the one guy he had to do it against.

“Nick Saban is the reason Brian Kelly is in Baton Rouge. Brian Kelly has lost to Nick Saban for a national championship, he’s lost to him in the Playoff, he knew to complete his chapter it wouldn’t be in South Bend, he had to come south and beat Nick Saban. He’s done that now.”

It’s indisputable Brian Kelly earned some slack with the LSU fanbase, and he’ll have plenty of time to bring a winner to the Tigers. In his first season, it looks like he may already be doing so.

Brian Kelly details decision to go for two, win in OT vs Alabama

Moreover, Brian Kelly decided to put everything on the line in overtime. Down one, a decision to go for two was either going to give LSU the win or send them home packing, giving Alabama a steep advantage in the SEC West. The move paid off, with freshman tight end Mason Taylor catching the game-winning pass from quarterback Jayden Daniels.

During his postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Kelly detailed the decision to go for two. He said it “felt like the right time” to win the game instead of going to another overtime. Kelly said the effort from his team is something to be proud of, especially against a team like Alabama.

“It just felt like the right time,” Kelly said. “Our guys, they played so hard. I just love the way our guys competed and I didn’t want to keep going in overtime. Just felt like the right time to try to win the game.”

As for the play call, putting the ball in Daniels’ hands seemed to be the key. Kelly trusts his quarterback to make a big play when called upon. Once again, Daniels came through in the clutch late in the game.

“We wanted to get 5 on the edge,” explained Kelly. “Good things are going to happen. Made a great decision. The true freshman, who played so great today, Taylor. Made two big plays for us.”