Saturday’s college football results provided a stark comparison.
Watching Tulane and LSU produced drastically different emotions and impressions. These are two teams, two programs, heading in different directions.
Tulane drilled Navy 35-0 while LSU lost to a mediocre Florida squad 27-16.
The difference was obvious.
Start with the obvious. Tulane players love playing for Jon Sumrall. The transition from Willie Fritz to Sumrall could not have gone better. Sumrall is incredibly positive, motivational, enthusiastic and supportive.
Brian Kelly is increasingly negative, is failing to motivate players and his berating of players is coming back at haunt him.
The numbers were clear.
Tulane held Navy to 113 yards and blanked the Midshipmen, on Senior Day, on their home turf. The Green Wave controlled the football to the tune of 35:47 to just 24:53 for Navy.
Tulane committed no turnovers while forcing two by the Midshipmen. Sam Howard was responsible for both turnovers, with an interception and he recovered a fumble.
Makhi Hughes rushed for a pair of scores while Darian Mensah passed for two touchdowns.
It was the second shutout of the season for Tulane and the fourth time that the Green Wave have held opponents under 10 points. The first time Navy was blanked since the 2020 season marked the Wave’s first win in Annapolis since 2001. Tulane had lost five of its last six meetings with the Midshipmen.
Most importantly, the win gave Tulane spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game for a third consecutive year.
Things are simply different with this Tulane team.
The goal annually is to improve weekly. We are seeing that in clear fashion from the Green Wave.
Based on the way Tulane is playing, it is easy to believe that the Green Wave would beat Kansas State and possibly Oklahoma as well if the teams played now.
With eight straight wins, Tulane (9-2) has a date with Memphis before taking on Army in the AAC title game Dec. 6. The hope of making the College Football Playoff remains alive for the Olive and Blue.
That hope is long gone for LSU.
The promise of two weeks ago has disappeared quickly and dramatically. LSU has been exposed as an average team, with a lack of overall talent to compete with the best teams in the SEC, much less the average teams in the conference.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the future of Billy Napier at Florida was in serious doubt. The former Ragin’ Cajuns head coach has since gotten a vote of confidence.
The Gators sure looked confident against the Tigers.
LSU had the ball for 41:43, an incredible number. Yet, the Tigers lost by 11 points.
The site of Kyren Lacy yelling at Kelly was perhaps a tell-tale sign.
Has Kelly lost this team?
The loss to Alabama was embarrassing. The loss at Florida to a mediocre team was equally embarrassing.
The LSU program has regressed. There are no great players on this team.
Will Campbell will get drafted high and Emory Jones could as well. Harold Perkins will get an early round call but he has been out for weeks. Mason Taylor is a good player with an NFL future. Aaron Anderson has stepped up nicely and Garrett Nussmeier will get drafted.
Still, there are no players the likes of Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers or Brian Thomas, Jr.
Daniels covered up for many ills a year ago. The Tigers have no one to cover up for what ails it this season.
The overall talent is simply not good enough to win consistently against good competition.
Now, the questions about the coaching are coming.
LSU won 10 games in each of Kelly’s first two seasons. At 6-4, that is not going to happen this year.
In fact, there is no sure thing that wins ware coming against Vanderbilt or Oklahoma to close out the schedule.
Kelly was hired to win an SEC championship and to compete for and eventually win a national championship. After doing an excellent job in his first year in getting the Tigers to the SEC title game, the enthusiasm has waned, as has the productivity.
The LSU offensive line is vastly overrated. The running backs, outside of Caden Durham, are not good enough. The wide receivers are average.
The entire defense is average, lacking real playmakers.
Those advocating a change in coaches at LSU have this fact staring them in the face – Kelly is under contract through 2031. It would cost approximately $60 million to buy him out.
Kelly’s future at LSU is directly tied to recruiting. Right now, he has a top five class for 2025, if the commitments hold.
Bryce Underwood, the top quarterback prospect in the country, was recently lured by Michigan by a massive NIL offer. Underwood has stuck with LSU but will that be the case moving forward?
Calvary Baptist star lineman Devin Harper may flip his commitment from LSU to Ole Miss.
If that is a sign of things to come, things will get rocky for Kelly.
If it happens and is an exception to the rule, Kelly will withstand the onslaught of criticism and public frustration with his and his team’s performance this season.
In retrospect, LSU was very fortunate to get out of South Carolina with a win. A crucial penalty saved the Tigers in Columbia. LSU was very fortunate to steal an overtime win from Ole Miss, a better football team than the Tigers.
Had those wins not happened, the calls for change would be heard far and wide.
Tulane has clinched a berth in the AAC title game. Louisiana-Lafayette is having a banner season, leading the Sun Belt West Division. Southern University has clinched a berth in the SWAC championship game.
Those programs are ascending. LSU is descending.
