Dan Mullen reacts to Brian Kelly pounding table, calling out team

Brian Kelly made headlines for pounding his fist on the table during his press conference after LSU lost to USC 27-20 on Sunday night. His frustration was visible as he called out his team for not focusing on the game down the stretch.

As a former head coach Dan Mullen knows what it’s like for things to not go as planned. Given his experience, he weighed in on the viral moment, providing an interesting perspective on Kelly’s intensity after the game.

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“Well, when you watch the game last night, they moved the ball, especially in the first half,” Mullen said on ESPN ahead of Florida State vs. Boston College. “They were moving the ball up and down the field, but not finishing drives, not coming away with points. Opening drive, move the ball down the field and lose the ball on downs.

“I think going in at halftime, they played really well. You look at the scoreboard, and the scoreboard didn’t reflect how they felt they played that game.”

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LSU totaled over 400 yards of offense — but gave up 450 more on the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers would to 0-1 for the third time under Brian Kelly after the Trojans scored on a last-second touchdown by USC.

Fresh off the loss to USC in Vegas, here’s what Kelly had to say after the game.

“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 pounded 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.”

“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. 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.”

Looking ahead, they’ll look to bounce back at home against Nicholls in Baton Rouge on Saturday before beginning SEC play on the road against South Carolina the next week on Sept. 14.