Paul Finebaum slams Brian Kelly, coaching decision following LSU's loss to Florida State

Sunday night’s Week 1 contest between Florida State and LSU was one for the ages. Brian Kelly made his debut as LSU’s head coach, and he did so on a big stage at the Superdome in New Orleans. The game was a back-and-forth affair, coming down to the final seconds. And a major decision from Brian Kelly at the end has resulted in major criticism from SEC Network and ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum.

LSU trailed 24-10 late, but got back into the game to make it 24-17. The Tigers then got the ball back with just over a minute to play in regulation. LSU was able to drive down the field and get into the endzone after a 99-yard drive, making the game 24-23. Brian Kelly opted to kick the extra point rather than going for the win by attempting a two-point conversion, and Paul Finebaum is not a fan of that decision.

Finebaum joined Mike Greenberg and the ESPN Get Up crew on Monday morning, where he did not hold back on Kelly and his questionable decision.

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“LSU paid $10 million for that, Greeny? That was my takeaway last night because it makes perfect sense to go for two,” Finebaum said. “He just went 99 yards. It was a perfectly executed drive and Florida State’s defense is, forget on their heels, they’re on their back. And you want to keep playing when you’ve played that poorly? No.

“And you don’t want to put in the hands of the special teams because you’ve already had two muffed punts, you had a blocked field goal. Of course you go for two. I think it’s the simplest call in the world. Brian Kelly being somewhat conservative, he immediately put up the one. Brian, you’re not in the NFL. This is college football. Put the dagger in.”

Kelly explains decision to not go for two

Despite criticism from Finebaum and others, Kelly defended his decision to attempt the extra point in the final seconds of his LSU debut. Even with prior special teams blunder during the game, Kelly believed that kicking the extra point was a high percentage play, and he trusted his unit to execute.

“[I] felt like, in that situation, that it was the prudent and percentage-wise that we were gonna be able to execute it,” Kelly said.

LSU falls to 0-1 and will return home to face Southern in Week 2. The Tigers will be looking to bounce back in a big way before another big game early in the Kelly era, with Mississippi State coming to town in Week 3.